Jay-Z‘s Annie remake has been given a Christmas Day 2014 release date by Sony Pictures.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Oscar-nominated child actress Quvenzhané Wallis will take on the title role after original lead Willow Smith was deemed to have outgrown it. Nine-year-old Wallis earned a best actress nomination for her impressive debut performance in last year’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild, but lost out to Jennifer Lawrence when the Oscars were handed out this Sunday (February 24).
Jay-Z is a producer on the new Annie movie, alongside Willow’s parents Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. The rapper, who sampled a song from the classic Broadway musical for his 1998 hit ‘Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)’, is also rumoured to be writing new songs for the remake.
Will Gluck (Easy A, Friends With Benefits) is set to direct and is currently revising a script that has already had input from Emma Thompson and The Devil Wears Prada screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna.
The original stage production of Annie opened on Broadway in 1977 and ran for six years. The 1982 film version was directed by John Huston and starred 11-year-old Aileen Quinn in the title role, alongside Albert Finney, Tim Curry and Carol Burnett.