Zooey Deschanel is to play Loretta Lynn on Broadway.

The 32-year-old singer-and-actress will portray the country music legend in an adaptation of 1980 film Coal Miner's Daughter after Loretta announced the casting at a live show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on Thursday, and she brought the New Girl star out to perform with her.

"It's a long way from Butcher Holler 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. 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!" the 77-year-old star said in a statement.

Zooey admitted it is a "dream come true" to have landed the part - played by Sissy Spacek in the movie, a biopic which documented Loretta's rise from poverty to fame - as she regards Loretta as a "true legend." The brunette beauty explained, "She is a true legend and to be chosen to play such an iconic woman is a dream come true."