Lifetime’s Original Movie, “Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B,” starring Alexandra Shipp (“House of Anubis”) as the beloved actress and music sensation, is set to premiere Saturday, November 15, at 8pm ET/PT. The two-hour movie event is executive produced by Howard Braunstein, Debra Martin Chase and Wendy Williams, and based on the bestseller “Aaliyah: More Than a Woman” by former Time Magazine music editor Christopher John Farley (Game World).
Before Beyoncé and before Rihanna, self-proclaimed “street but sweet” Aaliyah was poised to become a global icon with top-selling albums, a hot movie career and an adoring fan base. The film follows the beautiful and talented performer’s inspirational 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. Although just 22-years-old at the time of her death, Aaliyah continues to lead a legacy as Billboard’s tenth most famous R&B artist of the past 25 years and one of the recording industry’s most successful artists in history.
Multi-talented actress and singer/songwriter Alexandra Shipp starred as KT Rush in the Nickelodeon series “House of Anubis.” Additional credits include the upcoming film “Drumline 2: A New Beat,” “ Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” “Ray Donovan,” “Victorious,” “Switched at Birth” and “Awkward.” Shipp is currently filming Universal Pictures’ “Straight Outta Compton.”
“Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B” also stars Rachael Crawford (“The Man”) and Sterling Jarvis (“The Sentinel”) as Aaliyah’s parents Diane and Mike Haughton; A.J. Saudin (“Degrassi,” “The Next Generation”) as Aaliyah’s brother Rashad Haughton; and Lyriq Bent (“Saw IV”) as her uncle and music manager Barry Hankerson. The film also stars Anthony Grant as Damon Dash, Izaak Smith (“Mirror, Mirror”) as Timbaland, Elise Neal (“The Soul Man”) as Gladys Knight and Chattrisse Dolabaille (“Home Away”) as Missy Elliot. “Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B” is produced by Aaliyah Productions, Inc. Howard Braunstein (“The Informant!”) Debra Martin Chase (“The Princess Diaries,” “Sparkle”) and Wendy Williams (“Wendy Williams Show”) serve as executive producers. Steve Solomos serves as producer. Bradley Walsh (“Turn the Beat Around”) directs from a script written by Michael Elliot (“Brown Sugar”).
