The Lifetime film Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B premiered on Saturday, and fans were absolutely outraged. Even Timbaland and Missy Elliot, who were portrayed in the movie, took to social media to blast the biopic.
Some say it was doomed before it even aired. First, Zendaya Coleman, who was originally casted to play late R&B artist Aaliyah Haughton decided against accepting the lead role because the singer’s family was against making the film and would not release Aaliyah’s original music. In addition to production problems, fans did not think Coleman looked the part.
Once Coleman dropped out, Disney actress Alexandra Shipp took the role, and the casting for writing/producing duo Missy Elliot and Timbaland came after. Lifetime was once again criticized for casting actors that did not resemble the people being portrayed, but at that point, it looked as though Lifetime was going through with the movie no matter what.
As viewers experienced what some called a “trainwreck” during the biopic’s premier, social media posts about the movie made ‘Aaliyah’ a trending topic. Some viewers said the film seemed “rushed,” while others felt the acting was terrible and were disturbed by how little the actors resembled who they were playing.
