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Lifetime has shelved its Aaliyah biopic for now, after losing its star.
In a tweet on Sunday, the cable network announced, “We are sad Zendaya will no longer portray Aaliyah. Production is currently on hold.”
On her official Twitter account, the Disney Channel star shed light on the matter by quoting a source who told E! News, “Aaliyah has always been a source of inspiration to Zendaya. 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! News’ report on Zendaya’s decision notes there had been “production issues,” partly related to access to Aaliyah’s music.
It was announced earlier this month that she would portray the late singer in Aaliyah: Princess of R&B, which is based on the Christopher Farley book Aaliyah: More Than a Woman. It had been scheduled to shoot this summer and premiere in the fall.
After the biopic was announced, Aaliyah’s family stated that they were not involved in the film.
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