#OnThisDay January 31, 2001
ABC News shares that Aaliyah is casted in the movies Matrix and Aaliyah fans rejoice.
I remember Aaliyah fans (during this time) excited and just all over the message boards sharing their love. We were already thrilled at the news of her impending release of the much-anticipated third album, and this news served as an additional delight for us.
Filming for 'Matrix Reloaded' would begin March 1st 2001. Tragically, she (and 8 others) passed away in August 2001, and regrettably, the amount of footage recorded for her character (Zee) was insufficient for the production team to retain her in the film. Consequently, all scenes associated with Aaliyah's character had to be reshot, and the role was subsequently recast to Nona Gaye, the daughter of Marvin Gaye, for both The Matrix Reloaded and in The Matrix Revolutions.