Whitney Houston (Photo : Reuters)
The television biopic of the late Whitney Houston titled "Whitney" will premiere on Jan. 17, 2015, on Lifetime, NDTV reported.
Directed by "American Horror Story" star Angela Bassett, "Whitney" will star Yaya DaCosta as Houston opposite Arlen Escarpeta as the husband Bobby Brown.
Prior to her acting career, DaCosta competed as an aspiring model in Tyra Banks's "America's Next Top Model" in 2004 and finished second. After "ANTM," she appeared in TV series "Eve," "All My Children," "Ugly Betty," "Law and Order," "Mercy," "Army Wives," "Body of Proof," "House M.D." and "Unforgettable."
DaCosta also starred in several films including "The Butler," "The Kids Are All Right" and "Shanghai Hotel."
Instead of DaCosta, Deborah Cox will provide the vocals for the four tracks by Houston included in "Whitney," which are "I Will Always Love You," "Every Little Step," "The Greatest Love of All" and "I'm Every Woman."
The biopic will feature the relationship of Brown and Houston from the first time they met to their controversial marriage, as well the struggles Houston encountered as she rose to international fame as an actress and an award-winning singer.
Aside from "Whitney," Lifetime will also air an hour-long documentary titled "Beyond The Headlines: Whitney Houston," which will feature interviews with industry insiders and Houston's colleagues and friends including "Lethal Weapon" actress Darlene Love.
Before the production of "Whitney" started, Bassett had to defend the film after it was criticized by the late singer's mother Cissy Houston for doing the project without the family's blessing, and by her daughter Bobbi Kristina, who felt she deserved to portray her mother instead of DaCosta, according to In Touch Weekly.
Lifetime has been criticized recently for its controversial biopics of celebrities who are no longer alive.
In September, Angelo Bertolotti criticized the network for its wrongful portrayal of his daughter Brittany Murphy in a biopic. In November, producer Timbaland also slammed Lifetime for the portrayal of his late friend Aaliyah in the TV movie "Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B."
