Daisy Edgar-Jones has been cast as Carole King in “Beautiful,” the movie adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical about the life and career of the prolific songwriter and singer.
The 24-year-old British actress had her breakout role in Hulu’s romance drama “Normal People” in 2020. Then, earlier this year, she starred in the film adaptation of the bestselling book “Where The Crawdads Sing.”
King gave Jones her seal of approval. “Daisy has a spirit and energy that I recognized as myself when I was younger,” King told Variety in a story published Thursday.
“She’s a tremendous talent and I know she’s going to give a great performance,” she added.
The project will be directed by Lisa Cholodenko, who co-wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay, alongside Stuart Blumberg. The pair was nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay for their work in 2010′s “The Kids Are All Right.”
Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman were announced as producers of the film, alongside Paul Blake, who worked on the stage production.
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” ran for five successful years on Broadway before taking its final bow on Oct. 27, 2019.
Nominated for seven Tony Awards in 2014 — including best musical and book of a musical — the show took home two statuettes: One for best leading actress (Jessie Mueller), and another for best sound design.
The show features several American classics written by the Grammy-winning musician, including “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”
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