Reese Witherspoon to play Peggy Lee in biopic

London: Reese Witherspoon is set to play American singer Peggy Lee in a new movie based on her life.

The `Legally Blonde` star has secured the rights from Lee`s estate to make a film on the Grammy award winning singer`s life, reported Contactmusic. Witherspoon, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of singer June Carter in the Johnny Cash biopic `Walk the Line`, has lined up Nora Ephron to write and direct the movie with Marc Platt producing. The 34-year-old actress will also co-produce the project, which will chart the ups and downs of Lee`s career and personal life. The music star`s career spanned nearly seven decades and she was an accomplished jazz singer, actress, songwriter, composer and a Grammy Award winner. Peggy rose to prominence during the big band era and had her first hit `Somebody Else is Taking My Place` in 1941. One of her most famous songs was `Fever`. She also appeared in the 1953 movie `The Jazz Singer` and the 1955 musical `Pete Kelly`s Blues`, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She co-wrote the songs for Disney`s 1955 animated film `Lady and the Tramp`. Lee died in 2002 at the age of 81. PTI