Meryl Streep to play wannabe opera diva

Meryl Streep has been cast to play wannabe opera singer Florence Foster Jenkins in a new biopic.

The Oscar winner will star in a film called Florence, which is based on the true story of New York heiress and socialite Jenkins, who had aspirations to become a famous soprano.

However, she was the only one who didn't realize she had a horrible voice and was constantly ridiculed by the public due to her lack of talent.

Hugh Grant will portray her partner and manager St. Clair Bayfield, who was determined to protect Jenkins from the awful truth, while Philomena director Stephen Frears will helm the film.

Jenkins' life was previously dramatised in a play called Souvenir by Stephen Temperley which opened on Broadway in 2005.

Streep's singing roles include parts in the film version of stage musical Mamma Mia!, as well as the upcoming Into the Woods, Ricki and the Flash, and as opera diva Maria Callas in a new HBO movie.