With some support from her friend Reese Witherspoon, Dolly Parton is looking to be a movie star again.
Parton is teaming with Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company for an adaptation of the best-selling novel she co-wrote with James Patterson, ‘Run, Rose Run.’ Published in early March, the Nashville-based book centres on a bond between an aspiring country singer and a retired country superstar, a character Parton has said during media interviews that she was anxious to play on film.
“James and I love Reese and look forward to working with her and her wonderful team,” Parton said in a statement Monday.
Witherspoon, who grew up in Nashville and won an Oscar for playing country great June Carter Cash in ‘Walk the Line,’ said in a statement that Parton had long been one of her idols.
“Dolly Parton is not only an icon to me, but a true inspiration to women and girls everywhere,” Witherspoon said.
“My admiration for her grew to even greater heights when reading `Run, Rose, Run,’ a gripping and heartbreaking book I couldn’t put down. I couldn’t feel more honored to be working alongside her and James to bring this remarkable story to the screen.’’
Parton has mostly acted in television in recent years, including a guest appearance on ‘Grace & Frankie,’ but in the 1980s and 1990s starred in such feature films as ‘9 to 5,’ ‘Steel Magnolias’ and ‘Straight Talk'.
