TORONTO — A TV movie about the late R&B singer Aaliyah will be shot in Toronto, Global News has learned.
Cameras are scheduled to roll on the biopic, Aaliyah: Princess of R&B, from July 2 to 31.
The independent project will be based out of Dufferin Gate Productions and directed by Bradley Walsh (The Listener, Beauty and the Beast), who helmed the 2010 TV movie Turn the Beat Around.
Producers have not announced who will be cast in the title role but sources said Canadian singer Keshia Chanté is a likely choice.
A rep for the Ottawa-born singer could not be reached but late last month Chanté seemed to confirm on Twitter that she had auditioned for the role.
Chanté, 25, is a Juno-winning recording artist who released three albums in Canada and currently hosts the BET series 106 & Park in New York City.
She has had some acting experience, including a guest role on the made-in-Toronto series Da Kink in My Hair in 2007 and the lead role in the Halifax-shot 2008 drama Soul.
Other actresses who were reportedly considered for the coveted role include Bria Murphy and Tristan Mays.
The family of Aaliyah, whose full name was Aaliyah Haughton, has objected to production of a biopic for several years.
Aaliyah was 22 when she and eight other people were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming a music video. The singer released three albums; collaborated with artists like Timbaland, Missy Elliott and R. Kelly; and starred in the 2000 film Romeo Must Die.
BELOW: Watch Keshia Chante perform “One In a Million” by Aaliyah.
This post has been updated.
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