The controversy surrounding Lifetime’s upcoming Aaliyah biopic isn’t showing signs of letting up.
On Tuesday, Jomo Hankerson, Aaliyah’s cousin and president of Blackground Records label, stopped by V-103’s Ryan Cameron show to talk about why the family isn’t supporting the film.
“This Lifetime thing came out of the blue. We (including Aaliyah’s mother and brother) saw it when the press release was released when everybody else did,” he revealed. “I think going forward, we will have that conversation because I know there’s going to be things that they don’t cover because they just don’t have the knowledge to cover it.”
Hankerson went on to say that his main problem is that Lifetime is going to have Zendaya recut Aaliyah’s vocals for the film. “I can’t imagine somebody singing “One In A Million” as if she’s Aaliyah. That’s unfathomable to me,” he said.
As for the criticism Zendaya’s been receiving about not being “black enough” for the Aaliyah role, Hankerson feels sorry for the Disney star, noting that Aaliyah went through the same thing in her career. He also added that, were it up to him, Zoe Saldana would play the late R&B singer on the big screen.
“I think she can pull off the acting part of it and she’s obviously gorgeous and beautiful,” he said.
Do you think Aaliyah’s biopic deserves more than a Lifetime movie?