Dolly Parton is no stranger to translating her musical sensibility to the screen — look no further than “Dumplin’,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” and “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings” for proof. Now the superstar is branching out into another form of film adaptation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Parton is set to star in and produce the feature version of her new bestseller, “Run, Rose, Run.” Written with James Patterson, the book was published earlier this month.
Reese Witherspoon is also producing the adaptation, which hails from her Hello Sunshine banner. Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Neustadter and Patterson are producing, too, and Ashley Strumwasser is executive producing.
“Run, Rose, Run” sees a young woman making her way to Nashville to pursue her music dreams. “The source of her heart-wrenching songs is a brutal secret she has tried desperately to hide, but the past she has fled is reaching out to control her future — and it may destroy everything she has worked for,” the book’s synopsis hints.
“Growing up in Nashville, I’ve loved Dolly since the moment I heard her magical voice and saw her luminous personality shine onstage. Beyond her magnetic presence as an artist and performer, she is one of the greatest songwriters and storytellers of our time. Her impact knows no bounds — as a musician, actor, writer, businesswoman, activist, and all around incredible human being — Dolly Parton is not only an icon to me, but a true inspiration to women and girls everywhere,” said Witherspoon. “My admiration for her grew to even greater heights when reading ‘Run, Rose, Run,’ a gripping and heartbreaking book I couldn’t put down. I couldn’t feel more honored to be working alongside her and James to bring this remarkable story to the screen.”
“The Morning Show” and “Sing 2” are among Witherspoon’s more recent acting credits. Her producing work includes the former, “Truth Be Told,” “Big Little Lies,” and the upcoming adaptation of “Where the Crawdads Sing,” expected to hit theaters in July. Witherspoon won an Oscar for her lead performance in “Walk the Line” and an Emmy for producing “Big Little Lies.”
Parton was a presence in two films at SXSW 2022, which wrapped up this past weekend. She appears in the Camille Hardman-co-directed “Still Working 9 to 5,” a doc about the fight for fair pay in the years since “9 to 5” debuted, and Gracie Otto’s “Seriously Red” sees its protagonist trying her hand at being a Dolly Parton impersonator. Parton has received two Oscar nods for Best Original Song (for “Transamerica” and “9 to 5”), has sold over 100 million records worldwide, and was recently nominated for induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She is still on the ballot for the latter despite requesting to “respectfully bow out” of the process because she feels she hasn’t “earned [the] right” to be nominated.
