Deschanel to play Loretta Lynn on Broadway

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NEW YORK, May 11 (UPI) -- Zooey Deschanel is to play country music icon Loretta Lynn in a Broadway stage adaptation of "Coal Miner's Daughter," Playbill.com reported.

Lynn announced the casting Thursday from the stage of Nashville's Ryman Auditorium during "Opry Country Classics." She previously invited Sissy Spacek onstage at the Grand Ole Opry in 1979 to announce she had chosen the actress to portray her in the film "Coal Miner's Daughter."

Lynn handpicked Deschanel, star of TV's "New Girl," for the stage adaptation, Playbill.com said.

"It's a long way from Butcher Holler [in Kentucky] to Broadway in New York City. I never imagined I'd see 'Coal Miner's Daughter' on a movie screen, and now I can't believe it's going to be on a stage for people to see," Lynn said. "I'm going to be right there in the front row. And I know Zooey is going to be great -- she sings and writes her own songs just like I do, and we even have the same color eyes!"

"Loretta Lynn and her music have been inspirations for me for as long as I can remember," said Deschanel. "She is a true legend and to be chosen to play such an iconic woman is a dream come true."

Deschanel has starred in the films "Elf" and "The Good Girl."

The creative team and dates for the production have not been announced yet.