Lindsay Lohan to play Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime movie

LOS ANGELES — Lindsay Lohan will play iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime TV movie "Liz and Dick," the story of the tumultuous relationship between Taylor and actor Richard Burton, Reuters reported. 

Taylor met Burton on the set of the 1963 film "Cleopatra," which kicked off their passionate romance that made headlines worldwide as the couple married and divorced twice over the years, according to Reuters. 

"I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor," Lohan said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well. I am very honored to have been asked to play this role."

Lohan, 25, has been trying to shake her "bad girl" image after being in and out of jail, rehabilitation, and court since her 2007 arrest for drunk driving and cocaine possession. She was released from almost five years of probation in March, Reuters reported.

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Despite the young actress's troubled past, "Liz and Dick" executive producer Larry Thomson told E! Online that they have confidence in Lohan, the first actor of the cast to be announced, on board. 

 "We truly feel that Lindsay Lohan is perfect for Elizabeth Taylor for our movie," Thomson told E!. "I think Lindsay—who is very gifted—deserved another chance. We never, of three pages of 'what ifs' in the negotiation, there never was 'what if she can't act.' We know she can act."

“We are thrilled Lindsay will portray beloved Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor,” Rob Sharenow, the Executive Vice President of Programming for Lifetime Networks, said in the official statement, according to Deadline. “She is one of the rare actresses who possesses the talent, beauty and intrigue to capture the spirit of such a provocative icon.”

The film is set to begin production in early June in Los Angeles, according to the Hollywood Reporter.