Cher is poised to star opposite Christina Aguilera in Burlesque, a contemporary musical for Screen Gems that Steven Antin will direct from a script he wrote.

According to Variety, Aguilera will play an ambitious small-town Iowa girl with a big voice who comes of age in a neo-burlesque club on Sunset Boulevard that's run by Tess (Cher), a former dancer who struggles to keep the club open and gives the young girl a chance to shine.

Cher will sing onscreen. While her voice has been heard in many films, Burlesque will mark the first time she'll be seen singing in a film she stars in. Cher last starred in Tea with Mussolini in 1999.

"She brings a soulfulness and gravitas to this character that will ground the story," Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper said. "The only person who was more excited than I am is Christina."

Production begins in November.