Following the, let’s call it, “success?” of previous biopics like Liz & Dick, The Brittany Murphy Story, and Aaliyah: The Princess Of R&B, Lifetime has debuted the trailer for its latest look at scandal-ridden celebrity. Whitney, actress Angela Bassett’s directing debut, chronicles Whitney Houston’s rise to fame, troubled relationship with Bobby Brown, and untimely death from drowning due to heart disease and cocaine use.
As opposed to those other productions, this one seems to actually give a damn about verisimilitude to its subject matter and possibly being good—as good as a Lifetime movie can be, anyway, when it’s filled with shots seemingly ripped from Bassett’s role as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It. Yaya DaCosta plays the titular songstress with Arlen Escarpeta co-starring as Brown (though it remains unclear just how in depth the film will go on Brown’s impressive work on Ghostbusters II). And while “I Will Always Love You” is featured in the trailer, clearly The Bodyguard song that should be brought back is “Queen Of The Night” or at least that sweet metal plate outfit Houston wore. Whitney premieres January 17.