Zendaya Coleman To Star As ‘Aaliyah: Princess Of R&B’ In Lifetime Biopic Movie

Her life was cut tragically short when, at 22-years-young, Aaliyah met her catastrophic demise. It was a death heard round the world, and while her life was snuffed out unexpectedly, her star continues to shine.

Now, thanks to the Lifetime network, Aaliyah’s story will live on. The channel, best known for its dramas and its Original Movie series, has reportedly signed former Disney star Zendaya Coleman, 17, to play the role of Aaliyah. Interestingly enough, the two have several things in common, though they never met.

The biopic, which is tentatively titled Aaliyah: Princess of R&B is based off of a biography written about the young R&B star by the name of Aaliyah: More Than a Woman, which was written by Christopher Farley. Many who were fans of Aaliyah were devastated when her plane crashed in the Bahamas, killing the singer and members of her film crew.

Much like Aaliyah, who started making moves in the industry after appearing on Star Search when she was 10-years-old, Zendaya has carved out a substantial career for herself from a young age. Most notably, Zendaya played the role of Rocky, a dancer, singer, and fashionista, in the Disney channel favorite Shake It Up. She has since moved on from Disney channel to pursue a career in music with several singles experiencing modest success on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Furthermore, Zendaya’s debut album, which came out in 2013, sold more than 1 million copies.

Zendaya Coleman has also experienced success as model, spokesperson for Carmex, and most recently as a contestant on the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars. During her stint on DWTS, Zendaya was the show’s youngest contestant and impressed the judges and won the hearts of Americans alike when she qualified as a runner-up to the first place winner.

In related news, Zendaya also starred in the movieZapped which is due out later this summer. The Aaliyah biopic film is being filmed this summer and is slated for official release in the fall of this year. Check your local channel and listings for specific showtimes.

[Image credit: Black Celeb Kids]