British pop star Kerry Katona is set to play Marilyn Monroe in a new musical based on the life of the iconic actress.

The Atomic Kitten singer announced to her Twitter.com followers on Monday (22Jul13) that she had accepted the lead in upcoming production Norma Jeane The Musical by writer Belvedere Pashun.

Katona says, "I'm thrilled to have been given this opportunity to play one of the world's biggest female icons and can't wait to get to work.

"A successful career in drama has always been a main goal of mine and this role is a challenge but one I'm going to grab with both hands."

Pashun adds, "I needed an actor of huge talent, personality and experience - Kerry was at the top of my list. This show will change the shape of people's perceptions of Marilyn Monroe and we expect to announce a new star of drama on stage and screen with Kerry's performance."

The show is set to preview later this year (13).