Anna Nicole Smith (left) (Reuters/FRED PROUSER), Jenny McCarthy (FayesVision/WENN.COM) and Christina Hendricks (Reuters/DANNY MOLOSHOK).

Christina Hendricks and Jenny McCarthy are rumoured to be among the actresses battling to play tragic star Anna Nicole Smith in a new movie.

TV bosses at America's Lifetime network are bringing the model/actress' story to the small screen in a biopic and a number of famous faces are in contention for the lead role.

Mad Men star Hendricks and McCarthy are said to be the frontrunners to play Smith, who died at the age of 39 in 2007 after a drug overdose.

A source tells Britain's Sunday Express newspaper, "They are neck and neck. The producers love them both and it could come down to a final audition to determine who will get one of the most sought-after parts in Hollywood right now. Both women really wowed the producers, who were especially bowled over by how strikingly similar Christina with a blonde wig looked to Anna Nicole."

The Artist actor James Cromwell is rumoured to be signing up to play Smith's wealthy older husband, Texan billionaire J. Howard Marshall, who died at the age of 90 just 14 months after their marriage.

Smith's life story was previously told in an opera which ran at London's famous Royal Opera House last year.