凯莉·安德伍德加入电视版《音乐之声》

    Carrie Underwood is set to play the iconic role of Maria von Trapp in next year's live television broadcast of "The Sound of Music" on NBC.

    In von Trapp, she's tackling a beloved character whose popularity has endured for decades. The Rodgers & Hammerstein musical debuted on Broadway in 1959 and the 1965 film starring Julie Andrews won the best picture Academy Award.

    "Speaking for everyone at NBC, we couldn't be happier to have the gifted Carrie Underwood take up the mantle of the great Maria von Trapp," Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. "She was an iconic woman who will now be played by an iconic artist."

    The three-hour event, which is being produced by "Smash's" Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, will air sometime close to the holidays in 2013.

    "We're thrilled to be presenting the Broadway version of 'The Sound of Music' live," Zadan and Meron, said in a statement. "And having Carrie Underwood as the star brings it to a new generation who will fall in love with it for the first time as many millions of people already have. It's a particular joy to us as producers to see this amazing artist stretch into new territory with this classic musical."

    While this is a major role to play for the star, this won't be the first time the Grammy winner has put on her acting shoes. The country superstar has previously made a splash on the big and little screens, most recently in the 2011 feature film, "Soul Surfer," where she played Sarah Hill, the church leader who helped Bethany Hamilton overcome obstacles after her shark attack.

    She made her acting debut a year earlier on a 2010 episode of the CBS sitcom, "How I Met Your Mother." On that episode, she played Tiffany, a pharmaceutical rep that dates Ted (Josh Radnor), whose friends try to convince him is stringing him along.