Disney star Zendaya to play Aaliyah in biopic

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Zendaya Coleman of Disney's "Shake it Up" is set to play the late R&B singer Aaliyah in an upcoming biopic.

Aaliyah--whose full name is Aaliyah Dana Haughton--was killed in 2001, after the Bahamas-bound plane she was on crashed. She was only 22 years old.

No official announcements have been made about the title, but the Lifetime channel movie is tentatively called "Aaliyah: Princess of R&B." It is expected to air this fall.

Lifetime said that the film will follow Aaliya's journey--"from her debut on Star Search at the age of 10 to the challenges she faced during her rise to become the princess of R&B. On Aug. 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."

Zendaya will also reportedly record four of the late singer's songs for the upcoming film.

Zendaya expressed her excitement for the role. She said on Twitter: "I'm just a 17 year old girl who got cast to play one of her biggest inspirations ‪#positive‬"

The team that will make the movie happen includes director Bradley Walsh ("Turn the Beat"), written by Michael Elliot ("Brown Sugar"). Shooting will start this summer.

Show how much she accomplished in only 22 years....she's beautiful inside and there will never be another Aaliyah, I just hope to share her beautiful story, and make her proud up in heaven ‪#babygirl‬ ‪#forever‬ ‪#OneInAMillion‬."

"She's been an inspiration and influence in my whole career, her talent still shines brighter then ever, all I wanna do is honor her," Zendaya added.

The film will be based on Christopher Farley's best-selling biography "Aaliyah: More Than a Woman."

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