Cate Blanchett to play Lucille Ball in new biopic

Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett has emerged as the frontrunner to play beloved American comedienne Lucille Ball in a new biopic.

The 46-year-old Australian actress is attached to play Ball in the film, which will be based on a screenplay to be written by Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin, reported The Guardian.

The movie will chronicle the entertainer's 20-year marriage to Desi Arnaz, her "I Love Lucy" co-star. The couple divorced in 1960.

Ball won four Emmys as a performer and went on to become one of Hollywood's first female TV executives when she founded the studio Desilu, which produced the original "Mission: Impossible" and "Star Trek" series.
 

Blanchett is no stranger to biopics. She won her first Academy Award for her turn as Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator".

The Lucille Ball project has the blessing of Ball and Arnaz's children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr, who will produce the project with Escape Artists, the company behind the Jake Gyllenhaal drama "Southpaw" and "The Equalizer".