Lifetime’s Original Movie, “Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B,” starring Alexandra Shipp as the beloved actress and music sensation, is set to premiere Saturday, November 15, at 8pm ET/PT.
The 2-hour movie, executive produced by Howard Braunstein, Debra Martin Chase and Wendy Williams, is based on the bestseller “Aaliyah: More Than a Woman” by former Time Magazine music editor Christopher John Farley.
The film follows the performer’s journey, from her debut on “Star Search” at the age of ten, to the challenges she faced during her rise to become the “Princess of R&B.”
On August 25, 2001, at the height of her popularity, her life was tragically cut short when a plane carrying the singer, and some of her video crew, crashed after takeoff from a Bahamian runway.
Actress and singer/songwriter Alexandra Shipp stars in the film as Aaliyah. Shipp previously appeared in the Nickelodeon series “House of Anubis.” Her additional credits include the upcoming film “Drumline 2: A New Beat,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” “Ray Donovan,” and “Awkward.”
Shipp is currently filming Universal Pictures’ “Straight Outta Compton.”
“Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B” also stars Rachael Crawford and Sterling Jarvis as Aaliyah’s parents, Diane and Mike Haughton; A.J. Saudin as Aaliyah’s brother Rashad Haughton; and Lyriq Bent as her uncle and music manager Barry Hankerson.
The film also stars Anthony Grant as Damon Dash, Izaak Smith as Timbaland, Elise Neal as Gladys Knight, and Chattrisse Dolabaille as Missy Elliot.
Bradley Walsh directs from a script written by Michael Elliot.
Lifetime has released a first full trailer for the upcoming telepic, which is embedded below:
Source: Shadow & Act
