E! Online is reporting that singer Deborah Cox will be "providing the vocal tracks" for Lifetime’s upcoming Whitney Houston biopic, which is being directed by Angela Bassett (her debut).

Essentially, the star of the upcoming telepic, Yaya DaCosta Alafia will in fact not be singing Houston’s songs; Cox will.

I was actually expecting that Houston’s original music (with her voice) would be used in the film, and Yaya would simply lip-synch, which is common (Bassett did just that when she starred in "What’s Love Got to Do with It," playing Tina Turner). It looks like Yaya will still lip-synch, but to Cox’s recordings of Houston’s songs.

E! Online adds that music rights and clearances are still being worked out.

DaCosta stars as Houston, and is joined by Arlen Escarpeta as Bobby Brown.

The telepic will chronicle the headline-making partnership 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.

Bassett is directing the film, which is tentatively titled "Whitney Houston," from a script penned by Shem Bitterman ("Betty & Coretta" – the Lifetime Original Movie that Bassett starred in last year). 

Larry Sanitsky (who produced "Betty & Coretta") will do the same for "Whitney Houston."

Joining Alafia and Escarpeta in front of the camera is Yolonda Ross, playing Whitney Houston’s longtime good friend and assistant, who was also rumored to be her lesbian lover – Robyn Crawford.

Shooting is currently underway in Los Angeles. The film is scheduled to debut in 2015.