Rumors of a remake to the classic film, Annie, have been swirling around the Hollywood grapevine for a few years now. Until recently only a few slivers of information were released – rapper turned actor Will Smith and music maven Jay-Z are set to produce the film for Sony, and Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) is responisible for writing the script.
As of today, the studio has announced that a director has officially signed on for the project and they have set a release date. Will Gluck, who helmed the comedy gold that was Easy A, will be taking on the task of contemporizing the beloved classic. This will be the first collaboration between Gluck and Sony since he signed his two-year deal with the studio in Spring 2011.
Willow Smith was previously announced as the lead but is reportedly too old for the part now. Willow will be almost 13 when the film finally goes into production in late fall after Gluck revises the screenplay. The character of Annie is only supposed to be 9. This might be a minor set-back in Willow’s acting career, but I have little doubt that she’ll be following in her parents and brother’s footsteps soon enough.
With Jay-Z in the producer seat, the most obvious question is whether or not his hit single that sampled the unforgettable tune of “Hard Knock Life” will be included in the score. It seems like it would be one of the simplest tasks on the production checklist considering the source.
No reports on who may be in the lead now for the title role, but who do you think would make a great Annie? What about Mackenzie Foy, Renesmee from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2? She’s around the same age as Willow, but she looks really young and I bet she could rock some freckles!
The Annie remake is set to be released sometime in the Fall of 2014.
