She’s best known as one half of a powerhouse duo, but AJ Michalka is about to go solo in a big way, the 16-year-old singer beamed, revealing that she’s set to appear in Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” follow-up, “The Lovely Bones.”

“It’s like a dream role,” she enthused, nearly jumping up and down with excitement. “I’m playing the best friend of the girl who gets murdered. I was flipping out [when I heard I won the part]. I’m really, really stoked.”

The film, an adaptation from the best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, follows the aftermath of a young girl’s brutal rape and murder. The girl, 14-year-old Susie Salmon, watches her family and friends from the afterlife, observing them as they struggle to cope with her terrible demise.

AJ will play Clarissa, Susie’s best friend in life. Fans of the novel will recall that Clarissa plays a part in one of the story’s turning points, when Susie’s father, Jack, attacks her and her boyfriend Brian in a cornfield, believing them to be George Harvey, Susie’s murderer. Brian manages to subdue Jack with his own baseball bat, whacking him in the knee. But it’s not the action that has AJ amped - it’s who she gets to perform the action with, namely recent Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling who is playing Jack Salmon.

“I have a really emotional, intense, freaky scene with Ryan. It’s gonna be crazy,” she smiled. “He was so incredible in ‘Half Nelson.’ It’s just great for me as an actress to grow and work with such amazing people.”

In addition to Gosling, the cast also includes Oscar winners Susan Sarandon and Rachel Weisz, and Stanley Tucci and Michael Imperioli.

“The whole cast is amazing. Peter, he’s amazing,” AJ said. “It’s gonna be cool. It’s gonna be really cool.”

MTVNews.com

Wow, Peter Jackson is gonna direct this one? Awesome, I've read the book and it was pretty good. I hope the movie adaptation is nearly as good as the novel.

BTW, AJ won the best friend part? Who seriously cares... lmao. I'm more hyped about Ryan Gosling playing the Jack Salmon part.

What's the book/story about?

Yay, I wanna be an extra too!

It's an amazing book. I really recommend checking it out.

Basically, it's about a girl (Susie) who is raped, and then murdered, by a man in her neighborhood, and the story is from her point-of-view in heaven as she watches over her parents, siblings, boyfriend, an acquaintance named Ruth and her murderer and what happens to each of them in the aftermath of her death.

So does Aj have a big part? Sorry I have not read the book

And i agree LIKE WHOA, Aly is the better actress

I think Aly is all around better. Prettier, better personality, better body, nice voice.