Carrie Underwood To Play Maria Von Trapp In ‘The Sound of Music’

The Von Trapp family is heading to the small screen. Carrie Underwood will be playing Maria Von Trapp during a live holiday broadcast of The Sound Of Music in 2013.

USA Today reports that NBC will broadcast a live performance of The Sound Music during the holiday season in 2013. Maria Von Trapp was originally played by Mary Martin on Broadway in 1960. The most famous version of the character came a few years later when Julie Andrews joined the Von Trapp family for the award winning movie.

NBC announced today that Underwood would be stepping into Andrews’ giant shoes. The network has not made any other casting announcements yet.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who produced the network’s musical series Smash, will produce the live broadcast.

Zadan and Meron said in a statement:

“We’re thrilled to be presenting the Broadway version of The Sound of Music live 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.”

Underwood is best known for her musical talent (she’s sold more than 15 million albums since winning American Idol in 2005) but has started to carve out a niche in the acting world. She appeared in the TV show How I Met Your Mother and made her film debut last year in Soul Surfer.

Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, said:

“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 … “

Are you excited to see Carrie Underwood as Maria Von Trapp?

Here’s a video of Julie Andrews and the real Maria Von Trapp.