Zooey Deschanel to Play Loretta Lynn on Broadway

So far we've gone easy on Zooey Deschanel. It's so easy to hate on her--and there's been plenty of that. And there are times when she can surpass her cloying cuteness on New Girl and we forget how twee it all really is. But now she may have CROSSED THE LINE. What does the privileged cute girl know about being a "Coal Miner's Daughter"?

According to THR, Deschanel is set to play country music star Loretta Lynn in a stage musical adaptation of the 1980 Oscar-winning film (that famously starred Sissy Spacek). From THR:

"Lynn repeated history with her announcement of the project and the casting of the lead role, bringing Deschanel onto the stage of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville Thursday night following an Opry Country Classics performance. The pair sang a duet of the title song from the planned musical.

"In 1979, Lynn used a similar platform at the Grand Ole Opry to announce the casting of Sissy Spacek in the movie directed by Michael Apted, which would win her an Academy Award for best actress.

"It's a long way from Butcher Holler to Broadway in New York City," said Lynn. "I never imagined I'd see Coal Miner's Daughter on a movie screen, and now I can't believe it's going to be on a stage for people to see. I'm going to be right there in the front row. And I know Zooey is going to be great - she sings and writes her own songs just like I do, and we even have the same color eyes!"

We know that Deschanel has a penchant for singing in pop duo She & Him. And we're sure she loves the story and the songs of Lynn--and are impressed that Loretta is anointing her in such a fashion. But can the big-eyed ingenue really do it? We also have no clue how she will balance her New Girl responsibilities with a Broadway production. But we're sure they'll figure something out (and there's no clear sign of when the production will be on stage). But get ready for the hate-fueled critical backlash to unleash its fury on her. Cuz if she messes up Coal Miner's Daughter, there will be no forgiveness.

In case you want a look at what sort of song-and-dance la Deschanel is capable of, check out the She & Him video for "In the Sun."