Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, through their Overbrook Entertainment company, are partnering with Jay-Z to produce a remake of the film ‘Annie’ for Sony.
The movie was originally set to star Willow Smith in the starring role of Annie, but she has since outgrown the role. She was only nine years old when she was originally slated for the role, and she’s twelve now. There is no word on when casting will begin for the role.
The film will reportedly be directed by Will Gluck, who has directed such films as ”Easy A” and “Friends with Benefits”.
Instead of the Great Depression, which was the setting for the Broadway play, the remake will be set in the modern day. The studio is anticipating a late fall start and is predicting a 2014 release date.
Jay-Z ‘s remake of “It’s a Hard Knock Life” into a rap song was monster hit. He will no doubt be involved with the music for this production as well.
The original “Annie” was made into a 1982 movie starring Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks, Carole Burnett as Miss Hannigan and, Aileen Quinn as Annie. The film received mixed reviews. The film was based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip by Harold Gray.
