Dolly Parton had mapped out her dream musical biopic before her death, naming specific stars she wanted to portray her at different life stages.
The country legend, 80, revealed during a 2022 interview on the Mr. Nashville Talks YouTube series that she envisioned “three Dollys” on screen — a child, an adult, and an older woman — with the possibility of playing her older self. Parton had been developing the project for years and noted that potential casting choices kept aging out of roles as time passed.
“I do intend someday to be on Broadway but I’m thinking now that I might do my life story as a feature, and maybe possibly even a musical feature. We’re in talks about that,” she said in the interview.
When asked about potential actresses, Parton continued: “It depends on when I get [the movie] done – most of them age out. I’ve been wanting to do this for years, and I have to have three Dollys, really.”
“We’d have to have a little Dolly, we’d have to have the medium one, and now that I’ve lived long enough to be older, I might wind up playing myself. But anyhow, there’s many ways to do it,” she added.
Years earlier, Parton had floated different names for a straight biopic. In a 2019 interview with Elle, she suggested Reese Witherspoon and Scarlett Johansson as possible candidates to capture her spirit on screen.
The biopic never materialized in her lifetime, though a Broadway musical, Dolly: A True Original Musical, is moving forward with previews set for December 7 and an official opening January 19, 2027 — which would have marked Parton’s 81st birthday. The production was originally announced in 2024, though no casting has been confirmed.
Parton died last Tuesday, her nephew Bryan Seaver announced in a video posted to her Instagram page.
“I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t really felt it until now,” Seaver said in the video. “It is an honor, an honor that is mixes with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly.”
The family indicated that a small, private service would be held in coming weeks for immediate family only. Seaver signed off with a message to the millions of fans mourning worldwide: “My family and I have shared a lifetime of beautiful memories with Dolly, but so have you. She has always been your television, your record player, your CD, becoming an extended part of your family. Whether you liked it or not. Our family and the team she has entrusted with her legacy will work diligently to ensure her spirit will live with us forever.”
Parton had long juggled music, film, and philanthropy while maintaining the down-home persona that made her a beloved American figure for more than five decades. Her husband, Carl Dean, died in 2025 at age 82.
The Broadway musical is scheduled to open in New York City.