The Aaliyah biopic is back on. After Disney star Zendaya dropped out last month, a new actress has been picked to play the role of Baby Girl in the controversial upcoming Lifetime movie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 23-year-old actress Alexandra Shipp will now take on the role of the iconic R&B singer.
Shipp has starred on Nickelodeon’s “House of Anubis” and appeared on episodes of “Switched at Birth,” “Awkward,” and “Ray Donovan.”
Wendy Williams, who will now serve as executive producer, announced the news Friday on Facebook.
“Wendy and Wendy Williams Productions are proud to announce that they are joining Debra Martin Chase as executive producers on the Aaliyah Lifetime movie! Production begins later this month with Alexandra Shipp playing Aaliyah.”
Shipp takes over for Disney Channel star Zendaya Coleman, who exited the project after production issues including problems obtaining the rights to Aaliyah’s music.
“Aaliyah has always been an inspiration to Zendaya,” a rep for the actress told E! News. “She was honored to portray her and pay tribute to her. If she is going to do it, she wants to do it right.”
Aaliyah’s family has publicly condemned the film, and has reportedly hired a lawyer to halt production.
The biopic, entitled Aaliyah: Princess of R&B, is set to begin production later this month and premiere in the fall. The script is based off Christopher Farley’s best-selling biography Aaliyah: More Than a Woman.
[RU]
I am sick and tired of everybody portraying African Americans
other than African American Blacks. In the movie ‘Twelve Days a Slave’ both male and female main characters were foreign blacks. As much as I love my sisters and brothers from the continent and elsewhere, we African Americans paid a heavy price for our culture and arts that reflect the hell we have been through for the past 450 years and more. No one, but no one knows our exact experience and no one, but no one should portray us in the arts. The white man took everything from us, except our music and arts. Can’t we keep a damn thing? Now they and foreigners are taking that. Boycott every movie, play, nightclub act, everything that has the African American blues history connected, if African Americans are not the stars and cast. I ain’t apologizing for nothin’ when it comes to this. We must protect our own cultural history, no matter who gets upset-brothers and sisters from the continent or anywhere else. We are alike in many ways, but we African Americans have our own distinctive history resulting
from slavery, racism, discrimination, language taken away, families
deliberately separated, hangings, rapes … No other people have suffered our specific history. No other people should benefit from it.
You sir, bitch, he-she, monkeydite or whatever the f*ck you are, are by the far, the stupidest idiot in the room.
You’re to the point where you’re dissecting the blackness of someone’s experience in order to qualify them for a role… as a black person?
Stay losin’.
Do white people do this?
Didn’t a Brit (Daniel Dy Lewis) play Abraham Lincoln.. and won an Oscar?
Clive Owen, British, played Ernest Hemingway
Isn’t Superman British?
Batman… British?
Or Meryl Streep, American played British Prime Minister Margorite Thatcher
Did you have a problem with Idris Elba playing Mandela because he wasn’t South African?
BLACKS, not “African Americans” have a vast experience dealing with prejudice and pain.
We don’t have a monopoly.
Before you TRY and sound articulate, read your history of the African slave trade and it’s affect on the global make-up of our race.
btw…what the fuck does this have to do with someone playing Aaliyah?
Really?
Is it that deep?
Outside of her being an R&B star, she wasn’t this global transformative superstar people try to make her to to be just because she died an untimely death.
Wake me when Mary J Blige dies and I’ll be there to cry “Superstar” with you.
Right now… STFU!!!
And by the way… Alexandra Shipp is American you dumb f**k.
She was born in Arizona.
Why don’t you use google before you type.
LMAO!!!
@ TIRED OF IT
I agree 100%
Why don’t they just cancel this movie already.
I’m happy that they’re finally making a movie about Aalyiah, everyone else has a movie based off of them why not about someone who was just as loved, and admired for her unique, beautiful and artistic music, and her being an actress. She was vey gifted, beautiful talented woman, & no matter what nationality she was, All that matters is that she will always be missed. I don’t think it matters so much who portrays her as long as their heart is into it, and they impersonate her enough to where audiences believe its really her, having a common resemblance to her is also cool. I think Alexandra Shipp is a good fit for the appearance, it’s sad that Zendaya didn’t get to perform as her but its okay it gives someone else a chance to shine the part.