Lindsay Lohan confirmed to play Liz Taylor

It's official! Lindsay Lohan will play the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming film. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

LIFETIME confirmed today that Lindsay Lohan will play Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming biopic, ending weeks of speculation about casting for the coveted part.

In February, reports emerged Lohan was competing with actress Megan Fox for the role but that Lohan had to first finish her probation for pleading no contest to misdemeanor theft in May 2010.

Lohan completed her formal probation in March and remains on informal probation.

Landing the role of Taylor marks a milestone for Lohan, 25, as she tries to reboot her acting career after a nearly two-year spell of legal woes and rehab stints.

Lohan will star in the Lifetime Original Movie Liz & Dick, about the rocky romance between Taylor, who died in March 2011 aged 79, and her on-and-off screen partner, Richard Burton.

The role of Burton, who died in 1984 at age 58, has not yet been cast.

Lohan said in a statement she has "always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor. She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well. I am very honored to have been asked to play this role."

"We are thrilled Lindsay will portray beloved Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor," Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President of Programming at Lifetime Networks, said in announcing Lohan's part.

"She is one of the rare actresses who possesses the talent, beauty and intrigue to capture the spirit of such a provocative icon," he said.