Yaya DaCosta Alafia to play Whitney Houston in Lifetime biopic

LOS ANGELES -- The Whitney Houston Lifetime biopic has found its star!

Actress, model and former "America's Next Top Model" contestant Yaya DaCosta Alafia will portray Houston in Lifetime's upcoming biopic, the network confirmed on Monday, June 9.

DaCosta Alafia, 31, recently appeared in "Lee Daniels' The Butler" and she has had roles in "House M.D.," "Big Words," "In Time," "Body of Proof," "Ugly Betty" and "All My Children." She competed in Cycle 3 of "America's Next Top Model." News of her casting was first reported by TV Line.

Lifetime first announced its plan for a movie on Houston in May with Angela Bassett set to direct. Bassett and Houston co-starred together in the 1995 film "Waiting to Exhale." The Lifetime movie reunites Bassett with executive producer Larry Sanitsky and screenwriter Shem Bitterman, who worked with her on the channel's 2013 film "Betty and Coretta."

According to a previous statement from the network, the movie "chronicles the headline-making relationship between the iconic singer, actress, producer and model, and singer, songwriter Bobby Brown -- from the time they first met at the very height of their celebrity, to their courtship and tumultuous marriage. Throughout it all, difficulties followed the superstar couple while they dealt with the overwhelming rewards and consequences of the fame and fortune created by Whitney's meteoric rise that would soon overshadow them both."

Houston, one of the most famous singers in the world, best known for her cover of "I Will Always Love You" in the 1993 film "The Bodyguard," her acting debut, died on Feb. 11, 2012 at age 48. "Whitney Houston" is set to premiere on the channel in 2015.