Christina Milian will take over Naya Rivera’s role in the Step Up TV series, the Starz channel has announced.
Rivera played the character of Collette Jones on the show before she drowned in a boating accident at a lake in Southern California in July last year.
She was 33. Singer and actress Milian will now play Collette in Step Up’s third season.
“I am so excited to join the Step Up family,” the 39-year-old said. “I know I have massive shoes to fill. Naya was incredible. I hope to honour Naya, her family, friends and fans with a great performance.”
Step Up is a reimaging of the film series of the same name and is set at a performing arts school in Atlanta, Georgia, where filming is under way on the new series.
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan, who co-starred in the original Step Up film in 2006, serve as executive producers on the TV show.
Rivera, best known for playing cheerleader Santana Lopez on Glee, went missing during a boat trip with her four-year-old son at Lake Piru.
Her body was found following a five-day search. Rivera’s son, Josey, was unharmed.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said the cause of death was accidental drowning.
