Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha has confirmed she will direct the film version of '80s soap Dallas.
The film-maker said she was "delighted that the deal has been confirmed after so much enthusiastic speculation".
John Travolta will play JR Ewing, the role made famous by Larry Hagman, while Shirley MacLaine plays Miss Ellie.
Jennifer Lopez and Luke Wilson, Chadha told the BBC's Breakfast programme, were "quite close" to signing up to star as Sue Ellen and Bobby Ewing.
The British director said the film, set for release in 2007, would be "very true to the original series.
"But it's set today and all the characters are much more extreme versions of how we remember them.
'Contemporary'
"It's fantastic that so many people in Britain are excited about it," she continued.
"I've got to deliver something to them that's contemporary but at the same time doesn't trample on their nostalgic dreams," Chadha told the BBC World Service's The Ticket programme.
Australian film-maker Robert Luketic was originally signed to direct but left the project earlier this month due to creative differences.
Chadha is also linked to the film version of I Dream of Jeannie, the 1960s sitcom in which Larry Hagman also appeared.
Dallas, which followed the fluctuating fortunes of a Texan oil family, was broadcast in the US and UK from 1978 to 1991.
I was a fan of Dallas for at least five years. When one of the seasons turned out to be Pam's dream. And that was the end of it for me. When I heard about this indian director, I thought of "Vanity Fair" directed by another indian. Who had to add indian dance scenes to the story which made no sense and ruined the whole story. I wouldn't like to see Sue Ellen, Pam, Lucy and Mrs Ellie dancing in indian costumes.
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