Michelle Pfeiffer has joined the cast of the forthcoming big screen version of Hairspray as villain Velma Von Tussel. The star joins John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes and newcomer Nikki Blonsky, who’ll play Tracy Turnblad.

Pfeiffer will play the former Miss Baltimore Crabs beauty queen-turned-bitter Baltimore, Maryland TV station owner in the film based on the hit Broadway, New York City play.
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman are writing new songs for their Tony-Award-winning score, including a new tune for Pfeiffer. She last sang in the film The Fabulous Bakre Boys, which earned her a Best Actress Academy Award nomination.

Plans to shoot the film in Baltimore have been scrapped – it will now be shot entirely in Toronto, Canada starting in September 2006. Director Adam Shakman says, “Not only do we have her singing, which she hasn’t done in a long time, but she’s been a delicious villain in roles like Catwoman. “Velma is this amazing mess of contradictions. I’m going to dress and wig Michelle to death on this one!”