Reese Witherspoon to play Peggy Lee in new biopic

Having given an Oscar-winning portrayal of the late June Carter Cash in 2005′s ‘Walk The Line‘, it makes sense that Hollywood bigwigs behind a newly announced biopic of iconic singer Peggy Lee would turn to actress Reese Witherspoon to play the title role.

Truth is, the project has long been close to Witherspoon’s heart – as she told Wears The Trousers back in 2006, “[Peggy] was a visionary, sexy woman at a time when people didn’t think that was very appropriate” – and now The Hollywood Reporter have revealed that Witherspoon secured the rights to the biopic from Lee estate and approached Fox studios with the idea way back in 2000. On hand to help with the script and direction is fellow Peggy Lee fan Norah Ephron, whose previous hits include ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and ‘Julie & Julia’.

By the time Peggy Lee passed away in 2002, aged 81, she had amassed an enormous discography (including 15 top ten singles in the US) and acted in several films, most notably 1952′s ‘The Jazz Singer’ and 1955′s ‘Pete Kelly’s Blues’, as well as providing several voice parts in Disney’s ‘Lady & The Tramp’, including sultry femme fatale Peg and the dastardly Siamese cats. Dusty Springfield once said of Miss Lee, “She swung like crazy,” while Frank Sinatra is quoted as saying, “Her regal presence is pure elegance and charm.”

Let’s hope they do her justice.

Tagged peggy lee, reese witherspoon