Renee Zellweger is unrecognisable as Judy Garland in first picture from upcoming film

Actress will star as the legendary Hollywood performer in a new biopic

Renee Zellweger is playing Judy Garland in an upcoming biopic (Getty)

The first picture of actress Renée Zellweger as singer Judy Garland has been shared, with fans praising the uncanny likeness between the two.

Zellweger, star of films including the Bridget Jones series and Miss Potter, plays as Garland in the upcoming movie Judy - written by Tom Edge - which is currently in production.

The film will detail how the American performer arrived in London in 1968 - the year before her death of an accidental overdose, aged 47 - to perform a series of sold-out shows at The Talk of the Town nightclub.

Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland (Pathe UK)

Rufus Sewell has been cast as Garland’s ex-husband Sidney Luft, while Rupert Goold is set to direct. Judy is a joint production between Pathé, BBC Films and Ingenious Media.

Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (Rex)

Zellweger famously sang and danced in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago as lead Roxie Hart, which won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, along with a Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

In addition to Zellweger and Sewell: Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock and Michael Gambon will also star in the film.

A release date for the project has yet to be announced.