USA Today reports that Bynes will play Penny Pingleton in the upcoming movie musical. That news was gathered during the taping of the 2006 Movie Awards June 3. Bynes joins the previously announced John Travolta as Edna Turnblad and Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle in the New Line Cinema film, which will be directed by Adam Shankman. Featuring a screenplay by Leslie Dixon, “Hairspray” — with a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman — should hit movie theatres in summer 2007.

Amanda Bynes made her television debut in 1994 on "All That." She subsequently had her own Nickelodeon series entitled "The Amanda Show" and has also been seen in "The Nightmare Room," "The Drew Carey Show," "What a Girl Wants," "Lovewrecked" and "She's the Man."

Hairspray, based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name, currently plays the Neil Simon Theatre. The show won 2003 Tony Awards for Best Score (Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman), Best Book (Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell), Best Actress in a Musical (Marissa Jaret Winokur), Best Actor (Harvey Fierstein), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dick Latessa), Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long), Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical.