Reese Witherspoon is in talks to portray Peggy Lee in an untitled biopic for writer-director, Nora Ephron, says Variety. Witherspoon picked up an Oscar for portraying June Carter in 2005’s Walk The Line and will take on the role of Lee (born Norma Deloris Egstrom), who had a career spanning seven decades as a singer, actress and composer. Witherspoon will also produce the project with Marc Platt, her partner for Legally Blonde.
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, including “Fever” and “Is That All There Is?”
during the next 30 years. She’s regarded as one of the most influential
jazz vocalists of all time. Witherspoon has no less than a dozen projects in various stages of development and lended her voice to last year’s Monsters vs. Aliens. Her more immediate upcoming projects include How Do You Know with Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson and Water for Elephants with Robert Pattinson next year.