Dolly Parton Leads a Star-Filled Cast for NBC’s ‘Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas’
Dolly Parton will once again be setting her sights on festive magic this holiday season. The singer has been announced as the star of Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas, an upcoming NBC musical film that will feature an array of special guests.
Willie Nelson and Jimmie Allen will also be repping country music as part of the cast list, as will Billy Ray Cyrus. Cyrus' daughter — and Parton's goddaughter — Miley Cyrus will also make an appearance in the film.
Nelson and Miley Cyrus each lent their voice to a track on A Holly Dolly Christmas, Parton's 2020 Christmas album, and they're not the only Parton collaborators to reprise their roles of bringing festive cheer to her new Christmas movie. Late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon is also a guest star in Mountain Magic Christmas, after appearing on a version of "All I Want for Christmas is You" on Parton's 2020 holiday record.
Christian artist Zach Williams is also appearing in the musical; he previously teamed up with Parton for a duet called "There Was Jesus."
In addition to the musical acts appearing onscreen for Mountain Magic Christmas, Dolly is starring alongside actors Tom Everett Scott, Ana Gasteyer and Angel Parker, plus more actors to be announced at a later date.
The film is a story within a story of sorts, with a plot that follows Parton — the character — as she gears up for a network TV special. As she attempts to mount a special convincing a jaded public to tap into the magic of Christmas, she takes a journey through her past, encountering three Wise Mountain Men and learning the meaning of Christmas in the Smoky Mountains.
In addition to her acting gig, Parton has a hand in producing and writing the musical, which she worked on with Sam Haskell and David Rambo. It's one of multiple Christmas-related endeavors that she's got planned for this year: On Friday (Aug. 26), Parton announced the Ultimate Deluxe version of A Holly Dolly Christmas, featuring several new tracks, including "A Smoky Mountain Christmas."