Aaliyah biopic receives release date
Several weeks after finally receiving the green light from the Haughton family, Lifetime gives their Aaliyah biopic a release date.
“Aaliyah: Princess of R&B,” now starring Disney actress Alexandra Shipp, is set to premiere Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. ET on the Lifetime Network.
As you may recall, the network and fans alike, were unsure whether or not the film would see the light of day, after a string of holdups, including backlash from Aaliyah’s family who originally tried to halt production of the made for TV film and losing their original Aaliyah, former “Dancing With The Stars” contestant Zendaya Coleman, who allegedly dropped out due to the films low budget.
Based on the bestseller Aaliyah: More Than a Woman by former Time Magazine music editor Christopher John Farley, “Aaliyah: Princess of R&B” will chronicle the R&B sensation’s blossoming career before her tragic death. In a press release about the film, it states:
“The film follows the beautiful and talented performer’s inspirational journey, from her debut on Star Search at the age of 10, to the challenges she faced during her rise to become the Princess of R&B. On Aug. 25, 2001, at the height of her popularity, her life was tragically cut short when a plane carrying the singer, and some of her video crew, crashed after takeoff from a Bahamian runway.
Although just 22-years-old at the time of her death, Aaliyah continues to lead a legacy as Billboard’s tenth most famous R&B artist of the past 25 years and one of the recording industry’s most successful artists in history.”
Cast alongside Alexandra Shipp as Aaliyah are Anthony “Tony” Grant as Damon Dash, Izaak Smith as Timbaland, Elise Neal as Gladys Knight, and Canadian actress Chattrisse Dolabaille as Missy Elliot. Other cast mates include, Rachael Crawford and Sterling Jarvis as Aaliyah’s parents, Diane and Mike Haughton; A.J. Saudin as Aaliyah’s brother Rashad Haughton and Lyriq Bent as her uncle and music manager Barry Hankerson.
Despite its fair share of drama, the upcoming biopic, produced by controversial talk show host, Wendy Williams, along with Howard Braunstein and Debra Martin Chase is sure to make waves in comparison to VH1’s “CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story.”
Will you be watching? In the meantime, check out a few snaps from the films promo below. – ruthie hawkins/@ruubabie
