[Dixielandjazz] Peggy Lee biopic

[Robert Ringwald]

Reese Witherspoon Sings with Peggy Lee
Actress in talks to star in Fox biopic, which Nora Ephron will direct
by Pamela McClintock
Variety, August 9, 2010

Reese Witherspoon and Fox 2000 are mounting an untitled biopic of singer Peggy Lee
for Witherspoon to star in, with Nora Ephron writing and attached to direct.
Witherspoon -- the driving force behind the project -- is producing with Marc Platt
and Ephron. Fox and Witherspoon's reps are still hammering out the details of her
deal to topline.
Witherspoon herself secured the rights to Peggy Lee's story from the late singer's
estate after meeting with Lee's granddaughter, Holly Foster-Wells.
Actress/producer then went to Platt, whom she teamed with on the "Legally Blonde"
franchise. In addition to film and television, Platt also has produced on Broadway,
including the musical "Wicked."
Witherspoon next approached Ephron, who turned out to be a longtime fan of Lee's.
Elizabeth Gabler's Fox 2000 was a natural home for the Peggy Lee project, having
produced "Walk the Line," the Johnny Cash biopic toplining Joaquin Phoenix and Witherspooon
(she won the Oscar for best actress for her portrayal of June Carter).
Fox 2000 and Witherspoon are currently working together on "Water for Elephants,"
which is shooting and toplines Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz and Robert Pattinson.
Like "Walk the Line," the Peggy Lee biopic will explore the professional and personal
life of one of America's most iconic recording artists and performers. A singer,
songwriter, composer and actress, Lee's career spanned nearly seven decades.
Lee rose to prominence during the big band era, and had her first hit, "Somebody
Else is Taking My Place," in 1941. She recorded a series of hit albums and songs
over the next 30 years, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential jazz
vocalists of all time.
Peggy Lee also was a prolific songwriter. She penned a number of songs for Disney's
"Lady and the Tramp" and, in the early 1990s, won a landmark case against the Mouse
House for video tape royalties.
Her career extended to television and the bigscreen, where her credits included "The
Jazz Singer" and "Pete Kelly's Blues."
Ephron last directed Sony's "Julie and Julia" from her adapted script.
Witherspoon is next in theaters in December in comedy "How Do You Know?" opposite
Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. "Water for Elephants" is out in April.
Witherspoon is repped by CAA and Management 360; Ephron, CAA.


--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
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