Reese Witherspoon To Play Peggy Lee In Upcoming Biopic

NEW YORK (CBS) Reese Witherspoon is singing again, this time getting the "Fever" when she plays late jazz great Peggy Lee.

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The Academy Award-winning actress has signed on to play Lee in an untitled biopic of the legendary singer. Witherspoon, 34, approached "Julie & Julia" writer-director Nora Ephron to helm the film, according to published reports.

According to Variety, Witherspoon was instrumental in securing rights to Lee's life story, having met with granddaughter, Holly Foster-Wells, to express her interest.

Witherspoon won a "Best Actress" Oscar in 2005 for her portrayal of June Carter in the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk The Line," in which she also sang. The Ephron-helmed film is likely to give the actress the opportunity to use her vocal skills once again.

Like "Walk the Line," the Lee biopic will explore the professional and personal life of a legendary performer. A singer, songwriter, composer and actress, Lee's career spanned nearly seven decades.

The project will also see Witherspoon reuniting with producer Marc Platt, with whom she worked on the "Legally Blonde" series.