Katona, best known as a member of the pop group Atomic Kitten who also won the third series of TV's "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here" in 2004 and was a runner-up on "Celebrity Big Brother" in 2011, commented, "I'm thrilled to have been given this opportunity to play one of the world's biggest female icons and can't wait to get to work. A successful career in drama has always been a main goal of mine and this role is a challenge, but one I'm going to grab with both hands." The show is written by Belvedere Pashun, who commented, "Marilyn's life was one of extremes - poverty, abandonment, abuse followed by a flowering beauty which brought attention, fame, wealth and power and then the well documented tragic fall. I needed an actor of huge talent, personality and experience - Kerry was at the top of my list. This show will change the shape of people's perceptions of Marilyn Monroe, and we expect to announce a new star of drama on stage and screen with Kerry's performance."

The show will feature original songs from a writing team including Jay Aston, Geoff Cotton, Orna Klement and Tony Bayliss.