'Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors' TV movie to get a sequel

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., May 11 (UPI) -- NBC says it will air Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love later this year.

Nearly 16 million people tuned in for the 2015 TV movie Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors, which starred Jennifer Nettles, Ricky Schroder, Gerald McRaney and Alyvia Alyn Lind.

The network called the planned sequel "the next chapter in the life of young Dolly Parton." The original film's cast is expected to return for the follow-up. Stephen Herek will also be back to direct.

"The film delivers Christmas joy and peril as an unexpected blizzard threatens the Parton family, while at the same time Dolly's father [and his kids] make sacrifices to raise enough money to finally buy his loving wife the wedding ring he could never afford to give her. Meanwhile, an important person in little Dolly's life begins to see that her amazing voice and musical gift might just be made for something bigger than rural Tennessee," a synopsis said.

"It's no secret that everyone loves [country-music star] Dolly Parton and the response to our first movie was overwhelming, both in terms of the size of the audience and outpouring of love for a film with family values and faith," Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement Wednesday. "So, it felt like a no-brainer to bring this talented cast back together and tell another compelling holiday story culled from Dolly's own life growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Her spirit and belief in God -- and her music -- will infuse this movie with the true spirit of Dolly Parton."

"I was so overwhelmed and touched by how many people watched Coat of Many Colors and their reaction to it," added Parton. "The song 'Coat of Many Colors,' of course, has always been my favorite and has touched so many people through the years, especially me. It is a true story from a very special time in my childhood. I am so happy to share this story with the viewers and to say there is so much more to tell because mine truly has been a life of many colors. I hope the viewers will fall in love all over again."