When you hear the names Will Smith and Jay-Z, you do not automatically think: orphan musical. Or at least I don’t. Nevertheless, The Film Stage informs us that the duo will be producing the remake of movie-musical Annie beginning in the Spring, with Smith’s daughter Willow in the starring role.
The remake will be an update of the classic Broadway musical and 1982 film about the orphan Annie who melts the heart of Daddy Warbucks and everyone else with her rather upbeat attitude. Not to be outdone by Broadway, Jay-Z is penning all-new songs for the update to play alongside the better known classics. Which means that the spunky little orphan Annie is now going rap? Ok then.
I have absolutely no idea what to do with this news. While updates to classics are not exactly unheard of, this seems like a strange coming together of the forces.
Willow’s brother Jaden already has several films to his credit, including The Karate Kid and The Pursuit of Happyness. Now another Smith adds her name to the “I want to be a movie star” list, which could be good, or could be categorically disastrous.
How this will all play out is anyone’s guess, but a hip-hop version of Annie seems odd, to say the least. Still, stranger things have happened.
Spring production on Annie is set to begin in New York. We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
