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Dolly Parton Reveals Plans for Movie About Her ‘Life Story’

Country music legend and celebrated philanthropist Dolly Parton never slows down it seems. Parton, 76, recently announced a change to the long-developed musical production about her illustrious life in entertainment. Most notably, she decided to switch the project from a Broadway musical to a traditional film.

“We were talking about doing my Broadway musical, and we were really, really far out ahead of that, and then the COVID hit and that changed my mind about a whole lot of things,” Parton explained. “I do intend someday to be on Broadway, but I’m thinking now that I might do my life story as a feature. Maybe possibly even a musical feature. So we’re in talks about that.”

When asked about who might play her role in the various stages of the biopic, Parton laughed and said that many of her choices continue to age out of the role because pre-production takes so long. She joked that she might just “play herself” in scenes that depict her more senior years. Dolly also said she thinks that Jim Carrey would make a fantastic Porter Wagoner, the flashy entertainer known for his Nudie and Manuel suits.

Two years ago in a magazine interview, Parton mentioned Broadway mainstay Kristin Chenoweth as a distinct possibility to play the titular role. Chenoweth makes a lot of sense because both women are small, blonde, perky, and extremely talented singers. “I love Kristin Chenoweth. She’s just absolutely fantastic,” Parton said.

“Years and years ago, when I was going to do the Broadway musical—I never can get it to how I want it, but I’m still working on it. But I thought she’d be an ideal person to do that,” she said. “But we’re all getting older now, so if we tell the parts…we may be able to have different Dollys. We’d probably have to have—as long as my career has been—like a little Dolly, and a middle Dolly, and then the older one. And she’d still be great for that.”

Who else could possibly play Dolly Parton in her movie?

Another young, talented woman wit the vocal chops and charisma to perhaps portray Dolly is Kelly Clarkson. The former American Idol winner and current daytime talk host is a big self-professed of the country icon. In fact, the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards will feature a tribute medley for Parton by Clarkson, herself.

“I’m sure Dolly and I will have a lot to talk about when she’s on the show soon,” Clarkson said. “I love her so much. We actually got to recut her song ‘9 to 5’. It’s a blessing to get to sing with such a pioneer of a woman.”

Along with Clarkson, the ACM awards will feature sets from Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, BRELAND, Chris Stapleton, and many others. Country fans can catch the broadcast this year on Prime Video. The fun begins on March 7, at 8 P.M. EST, 7 P.M. CST.