NBC Casts Alyvia Lind As Young Dolly Parton For ‘Coat Of Many Colors’

NBC has cast Alyvia Lind as a young Dolly Parton in its upcoming movie, Coat of Many Colors. NBC this morning described the project as a “family-oriented faith-based story about the incidents in [Parton’s life] and her family’s life” in the Tennessee hills; it’s set in 1955 when Parton was 9.

Lind, who will turn 8 on July 27, has two sisters who also are actresses; her mother, Barbara Alyn Woods, was a regular on One Tree Hill. Lind most recently had a role in the Lifetime movie spoof A Deadly Adoption, with Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. She also has appeared as Jenny in Masters of Sex and Grace in Transparent.

Back in May, NBC announced it had greenlit Coat of Many Colors, based on Parton’s song of same name, as the first original movie under its development deal with the singer/songwriter/actress. During NBC’s Upfront Week presentation, NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said the deal to dramatize some of Parton’s tunes fills an underserved family viewing niche.  Parton took the stage at that presentation and wowed the crowd as she described her childhood growing up in a family of “horny hillbillies” in which “my mamma had one on her and one in her” for many years. Parton then sang Coat of Many Colors, after which Greenblatt accompanied her on the piano as she sang  I Will Always Love You which, she wanted media buyers to know, Whitney Houston can have the credit for, but “I just want the cash.” While the buyers gave her a standing ovation, Parton joked, “Get that money out!”

No premiere date has been announced on Coat of Many Colors, with Parton exec producing, as are Sam Haskell and Pamela K. Long. Production companies: Magnolia Hill Entertainment and DP Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.