We recently told you Lifetime will air a biopic based on the late Whitney Houston, and it was announced today they will also create a documentary on the late R&B singer Aaliyah. Disney star Zendaya Coleman earned the starring role, who is known from "Shake It Up!" and "Dancing With The Stars."
The film is tentatively titled "Aaliyah: Princess of R&B," according to The Hollywood Reporter, and is based off Christopher Farley's best-selling biography "Aaliyah: More Than A Woman."
Aaliyah found home at the top of the charts from 1994 until she passed away in 2001 at 22. Coleman is a promising choice for the part; aside from her strong acting skills, she released a self-titled album in 2013 where the first single sold over a million copies.
The upcoming biopic is being brought on by Aaliyah Productions, Inc., with executive producers Howard Braunstein (The Informant!) and Debra Martin Chase (The Princess Diaries). Bradley Walsh (Turn the Beat Around) will direct from a Michael Elliot (Brown Sugar) script.
Coleman has accomplished a great deal since stardom, this year alone receiving two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding New Artist and Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program (series or special) from "Shake It Up!" She also won two Radio Disney Music Awards for Breakout Artist of the Year and Artist with the Best Style.
The 17 year old star revealed back in March why she does not act like peers Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.
"I would never say anything negative about what they do or the choices they make because, in the end, those are their choices and their lives and I respect them," she explained. "I've chosen my own different path, and I will continue to do what I do."
She then added, "I don't wanna do anything I don't want my little nieces doing when they're my age."
Are you excited to watch the biopic? What do you think of the casting choice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.