Dumplin is ready for the big screen! The YA adaptation has found its lead in Danielle Macdonald, an Australian actress best known for her breakthrough performance in the Sundance favorite Patti Cake$.
MacDonald will star as Willowdean Dickson, a plus-sized Texas teen with a sharp wit and a Dolly Parton obsession whose protest entry into a beauty pageant shakes up the social hierarchy in her small town. THR describes the film as a “music-driven comedy”, which feels very in line with the book by Julie Murphy from which the film was adapted.
The star shared her excitement on Twitter:
SO excited to be a part of DUMPLIN'!! I'm a huge fan of the book and can't wait for this story to come to life ❤️ @andimJULIE
— Danielle Macdonald (@DLMacdonald19) June 14, 2017
The actress joins Jennifer Aniston, who was previously cast as Willowdean’s mom, an ex-beauty pageant winner who is still knee-deep in the pageant world. Aniston is also an executive producer on the project.
Filming begins this August in Atlanta, but the movie doesn’t have a release date quite yet.