Before Beyonce 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. But behind the spotlight, Brooklyn-born, Detroit-raised Aaliyah Dana Haughton struggled to succeed in a tough business while staying grounded in the midst of her growing celebrity. 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.
The film will be based on the book Aaliyah: More Than a Woman by Christopher Farley, and currently has the working title Aaliyah: Princess of R&B. I really expect that to change, because, blech!
Lifetime is getting way into the dead singer biopic market, because they also got that Whitney Houston biopic in the works, even though certain relatives are trying to sue it out of existence! The movie is still going ahead with Yaya DaCosta now cast as Whitney Houston!
