Hollywood Is Already Racing To Find The Perfect Actress To Play Dolly Parton Just Months After Her Death
Dolly Parton‘s legacy is larger than life, which means that Hollywood is already clamoring to find the right actress to capture the country icon’s unmistakable charm on the big screen.
Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer, and her estate is reportedly working with Hollywood producers to bring her incredible story to life, according to RadarOnline.
“The truly global reaction to Dolly’s passing proves one thing: A properly mounted biopic of her life featuring her most famous music would be a massive success,” a source claimed. “Her heirs have the opportunity to cement her legacy in grand fashion.”
That means that every actress in Hollywood will be vying for the role, and the media outlet named a few frontrunners, including Sydney Sweeney, Sabrina Carpenter, and Hilary Duff.
“Carrie Underwood is one name that keeps coming up because of her similar personality and stage presence to Dolly,” the insider continued. “But there are plenty of other famous singer-actresses who could pull this off.”
Hollywood might be racing to get the project going, but Broadway will beat them to the punch. Parton worked on bringing her life story to the stage with DOLLY: A True Original Musical, which is set to open at the St. James Theatre in New York City on December 7, with the first eight shows already sold out.
Parton wrote the music and co-wrote the book with Maria S. Schlatter. She also hand-selected the three actors to play her at different stages of her life. Norah Nunes plays Little Dolly, Carrie St. Louis plays up-and-coming singer Dolly, and Katie Rose Clarke plays the superstar, Dolly Parton.
“My whole life has been a musical. A grand ole opera, really, and I can’t wait to bring it to you on Broadway. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I’ve enjoyed livin’ it,” Parton said about the musical.
And true to form, Parton is making sure that Broadway will be accessible to everyone. Before her passing, she teamed up with the New York City Department of Education to open theater doors to thousands of students. During the show’s first year, 30,000 free tickets will be available to New York City public school middle and high school students.
