Deal or No Deal's April to Play Daisy Duke

By Stephen M. Silverman

06/06/2006 at 08:50 AM EDT

Deal or No Deal's April Scott will kick up dust as a young Daisy Duke in the upcoming prequel to The Dukes of Hazard – even though the film's producer had previously said he wanted to cast Laguna Beach star Kristin Cavallari.

"We decided to go with a Southerner and someone more reminiscent of Catherine Bach," producer Bill Gerber tells PEOPLE about the final casting.

Bo and Luke Duke's sexy cousin was played by Bach in the original 1979-85 TV series and by Jessica Simpson in the 2005 movie remake.

Earlier, Gerber had said of 19-year-old Cavallari, "She's at the top of the list. I like her innocence and her beauty." Ironically, Cavallari had also been linked with Simpson's ex-husband, Nick Lachey.

The upcoming movie, a Dukes prequel, will reportedly follow the teenage Bo and Luke's first clashes with Boss Hogg. Bob Berlinger (TV's Arrested Development) will direct the pic, which is set to begin shooting in Los Angeles this month.

According to Scott's personal Web site, she hails "from Southeast Missouri, where she was raised on a farm" and has won "an amazing 85 beauty pageant crowns." Her TV credits also include Entourage, CSI: Miami, SoapTalk and The Shield.