An upcoming Aaliyah biopic has announced its lead, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Zendaya Coleman (goes by first name only) has been slated to play the late R&B singer in the Lifetime made-for-television film.
As THR reports, the 17-year-old Coleman got her start on Disney Channel's Shake It Up and is also working on a career in music with a top 40 hit, "Replay." She was also featured on Dancing with the Stars' 16th season and finished second to Kellie Pickler.
The film is currently in its beginning stages and is tentatively titled Aaliyah: Princess of R&B. The story is based off the book Aaliyah: More Than A Woman by Christopher Farley.
Aaliyah died at age 22 on August 25, 2001, in a plane crash but topped the charts from 1994 until then and has remained a legend to this day. The film is the first biopic of the late R&B icon.
The film is being produced by Aaliyah Productions Inc., with Howard Braunstein (The Informant!) and Debra Martin Chase (The Princess Diaries) serving as executive producers, THR reports. Bradley Walsh (Turn The Beat Around) will direct Michael Elliot's script.
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