Zendaya, a Disney star, has left her starring role in the Lifetime Aaliyah biopic.
Zendaya’s casting, announced less than two weeks ago, was met with a flurry of criticism from fans and family of the late R&B singer, Aaliyah. Fans complained her skin was too light and her acting chops were lacking, while family members threatened to prevent Lifetime from acquiring rights to the songs, instead preferring a feature film to the Lifetime small screen adaptation, reported New York Daily News and US Weekly.
“We want a major studio release along the lines of ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It,’ the Tina Turner movie,” Jomo Hankerson told the Daily News. Hankerson is president of Aaliyah’s label, Blackground Records, and also her cousin.
He also called for A-list actors to be used in the film, joining in on fans’ worries that Zendaya isn’t ready to portray the role.
Zendaya was a fan of Aaliyah herself and cited the singer as one of her biggest inspirations.
“She’s been an inspiration and influence in my whole career…all I wanna do is honor her,” Zendaya tweeted.
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 (@Zendaya) June 16, 2014
Image via Dara Kushner/INFphoto.com