Washington, July 19 : Nickelodeon star Alexandra Shipp will be playing the lead in upcoming Aaliyah biopic after Zendaya Coleman exited the project in June.

Talk show host Wendy Williams, who is executive producing the Lifetime project along with Debra Martin Chase, broke the news through Twitter, CNN reported.

The movie, which has a working title of 'Aaliyah: The Princess of RandB, is based on the Wall Street Journal editor Christopher John Farley's biography, 'Aaliyah: More Than A Woman,' and is anticipated to premiere in winter 2014. (ANI)