Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller to Star in PATSY & LORETTA for Lifetime

Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller will star as country legends Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, in the upcoming Lifetime original movie Patsy & Loretta, according to TVLine. Nashville creator Callie Khouri will direct the film while Neil Meron, who worked with Hilty on Smash, will executive produce.

Patsy & Loretta is based on the untold true story of the friendship between the music icons. When they first met, Patsy (Hilty) was already one of the biggest stars in country music while Loretta (Mueller) was just a coal miner's daughter, starting off with little to her name but a $17 guitar. Instead of seeing Loretta as competition, Patsy took Loretta under her wings to help her make it in Nashville.

Soon, they became close friends, touring together, bonding over their husband troubles and commiserating on being females in the male-dominated music business. Then in 1963, the country music community was struck with a tragedy when at just age 30, Patsy died in a plane crash. Despite the devastating loss of her friend, Loretta continued on in the industry and is today, known as the First Lady of Country Music. To this day, Loretta remains grateful to Patsy for her mentorship and above all, friendship, as the country music trailblazer that paved the way for Loretta.

The film is set to begin production later this month on location in NASHVILLE and will be released in late 2019.

With her impressive vocal range and charm, Megan Hilty is the epitome of musical stardom. After making her Broadway debut as Glinda in Wicked opposite Idina Menzelto critical acclaim, Hilty went on to star in Noises Off, 9 to 5, and NBC's musical drama Smash-for which she is most recognized for her portrayal of seasoned triple-threat Ivy Lynn. She followed up the series with a starring role on the NBC comedy Sean Saves the World. For Noises Off, she earned nominations for a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award and won a Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Featured Actress in a Play. Her television credits include recurring roles on Girlfriends Guide to Divorce, The Good Wife, Braindead, and Louie, among many others. Hilty regularly performs with orchestras and symphonies across the country. Her solo show-including her sold-out Carnegie Hall debut-has received critical acclaim. She recently released a live album comprising of songs from her recent concert tour, entitled Megan Hilty Live at the Café Carlyle, and a Christmas album entitled A Merry Little Christmas with Megan Hilty. A native of Seattle, she is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

Jessie Mueller is a Tony and Drama Desk nominee for her roles in Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. She also starred in Nice Work If You Can Get It, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and the recent revival of Carousel. She has performed in concerts with the New York Pops, Pasadena Symphony and Pops, Jazz at Lincoln Center's American Songbook, and Live from Lincoln Center. She also had a role in the Oscar-nominated film The Post. And has been featured in television series such as "Blue Bloods," "The Family."

Read the original article on TVLine.