Tony-winning Broadway singer-actress Kristin Chenoweth will star as Dusty Springfield in a Universal Pictures biopic of the British soul singer. Jessica Sharzer will write and direct the film, according to reports.
Born in London as Mary O'Brien in 1939, Springfield became the finest white soul singer of her era, scoring such hits as "I Only Want to Be With You" and "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself". In 1969, Springfield released what is widely considered her masterpiece, "Dusty in Memphis", an album that included the classic "Son of a Preacher Man" but was a commercial failure. The singer battled substance abuse and a decline in artistic fortunes that ended only when she dueted with the Pet Shop Boys in the 1990s for "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" She died in 1999 at 59, after a long battle with cancer.
The film will focus primarily on Springfield's life in the sixties, culminating with the making of "Dusty in Memphis".
Vicki Wickham, Springfield's longtime manager, will be a consultant on the project.
