SOHH Squad
Weeks after finding its actress to portray the late Aaliyah in an upcoming biopic, Lifetime has now revealed what actors will portray music stars Timbaland and Missy Elliott.
According to reports, Hollywood newcomers Chattrisse Dolabaille and Izaak Smith will appear on the small screen to play Aaliyah’s mentors.
A network representative told TheWrap that Lifetime’s Aaliyah biopic has cast Chattrisse Dolabaille and Izaak Smith as producer-rappers Missy Elliott and Timbaland, respectively. Dolabaille is a newcomer to Hollywood. She’s a Canadian actress, singer and dancer. Izaak Smith, on the other hand, was a contender on “So You Think You Can Dance Canada.” (The Wrap)
Actress Zendaya recently said her decision to turn down the role had nothing to do with critics.
“Let me just explain something, the reason why I chose not to do the Aaliyah movie had nothing to do with the haters or people telling me that I couldn’t do it, that I wasn’t talented enough, or that I wasn’t black enough. It had nothing to do with that. … The main reasons were that the production value wasn’t there, there were complications with the movie rights, and I just felt like it wasn’t being handled delicately considering the situation.” (RumorFix)
Details of network Lifetime’s decision to cast a new actress for the previously scrapped movie surfaced last month.
Lifetime is back in business with its Aaliyah biopic. Nickelodeon actress Alexandra Shipp has been tapped to play the R&B singer, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Wendy Williams, who has boarded the TV movie as an executive producer, first announced the news Friday on Twitter. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Recent reports claimed potential legal problems including copyright issues may have stalled the film’s production.
A source told E! News that there were production issues, including problems obtaining the rights to Aaliyah’s music. The R&B star and Queen of the Damned actress died at age 22 in a plane crash on Aug. 25, 2001. “Aaliyah has always been an inspiration to Zendaya,” the source said. “She was honored to portray her and pay tribute to her. If she is going to do it, she wants to do it right.” (E! Online)
