Alexandra Shipp Is the New Star of Lifetime's Aaliyah Biopic

Wendy Williams announced today via Twitter that Alexandra Shipp will now be starring as Aaliyah in Lifetime's upcoming biopic AALIYAH: THE PRINCESS OF R&B. BWW reported last month that Disney Channel star and singer Zendaya had backed out of the role. Williams is executive producing with Debra Martin Chase.

I'm excited to exec produce the Aaliyah @lifetimetv movie w/ @DebraMChase. Prod starts later this month and @AlexShipppp will play Aaliyah.

- Wendy Williams (@WendyWilliams) July 18, 2014

The biopic will be based off of Christopher Farley's best-selling biography Aaliyah: More Than a Woman. The movie depicts Aaliya's life and career, from her debut on Star Search to her rise to fame and, finally, her tragic passing, which shocked the world. Scores of fans pay tribute to her online, especially on Twitter, on the anniversary of her death.

The R&B star and Queen of the Damned actress Aaliyah died at age 22 in a plane crash on Aug. 25, 2001.

Shipp will appear in the upcoming Drumline sequel, as well as the TV series Your Family or Mine. Her other TV credits include Ray Donovan, Awkward., House of Anubis, Victorious, Switched at Birth and more.

Image via Facebook.

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