Will Smith Planning ‘Annie’ Remake With Jay-Z
Jan 20, 2011 by Sandy SchaeferDo you like this story?
Will Smith is considering a remake of the musical ‘Annie’ that would feature his pop-star daughter, Willow, with musical contributions by Jay-Z.
[Update: It's looking like Willow Smith will indeed play Annie in the remake.]
As the former Fresh Prince-turned-A-lister with multiple blockbusters under his belt, Will Smith likes to keep his children involved in the family business. His son Jaden is currently lined up to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s next film and now his daughter, Willow, could end up as the leading lady in a remake of the musical Annie.
Not only would this new spin on the tale of Little Orphan Annie feature the 10-year old Miss Smith in the titular role, but Willow’s “Whip My Hair” collaborator Jay-Z could lend his musical talents to the project as well.
Variety cites the success of last year’s Karate Kid remake, which starred Jaden, as having paved the way for a redo of the classic musical about a plucky young redhead who has unwavering confidence about the Earth’s ability to continually rotate around the Sun. Multiple Oscar-winninng director and screen legend John Huston helmed the most famous (or for some, infamous) theatrical version of Annie back in 1982 and the original stage show has long since been a popular choice for high schools to perform.
For an idea of the atmosphere and design of Huston’s take on Annie, watch that film’s version of the orphan-happy “It’s the Hard Knock Life” song and dance sequence below:
Now take a look at Jay-Z’s sampling of that original song for “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” to get a feel for how the Annie remake might differ from the 1982 film:
There’s no word yet as to whether the Annie remake will retain the original Depression-era setting and classic versions of tunes like “Tomorrow”, or whether the flick will be a contemporary re-envisioning with modernized songs by Jay-Z. Some moviegoers will consider it blasphemy if the remake changes a single thing from the original, while others will be infuriated by the mere idea of retooling one of the most widely-known musicals around -- and of course there will be those that don’t have especially strong feelings about the project either way.
Which camp do you fall into? Does this remake of Annie sound really cool, terrible, or mostly just uninteresting? Be sure to share your thoughts with us (keep them civil, please) in the comments section below and on Twitter @screenrant and @feynmanguy.
Source: Variety
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The Smith family has the right to do what ever they see fit in movies as long as people pay thier tickets to see them, the market will determine if they continue or not regardless of race or color. The Karate Kid remake was bold and I believe the main character was to young but it worked, Annie on the other hand is perhaps to Iconic to change people have to remember the Disney Annie picture was a big flop and it stay true to source material. Would a Jay Z musical score add anything to musicals? Perhaps but make an original story about an african american orphan girl, now that would be something to see.
Oh, good lord. Yet another remake? We’re a half step away from “A New Hope.” I just know it.
If Will Smith’s daughter is young enough, wouldn’t surprise me to see remakes of Shirley Temple Movies too.
*facepalm*
I am sick and tired of movies getting remade starring black people.
I am not racist, I just think that people need to come up with original ideas.
not direct copies with an all black cast. I hate how just because your parents are movie stars instantly makes their kids stars… This is BS.
This is retarded idea. Will smith stop getting your kids in the business and just make independence day 2 already. This will be just as terrible as Karate Kid.
Im still skeptical about Smith & Fox makin a sequel to Independence Day. I mean what can they do in the 2nd film that would be as great as the first film? I mean most of America & countries worldwide were pretty much trashed by the end so how many years would it take place where cities 7 everything is rebuilt? I hope Will & Jada’s kids asked to do movies etc. because other than that they should be enjoying their childhood while they can. I know if i was a celebrity id encourage my kids to wait till they’re older but enjoy their childhood for now. Thats just me though. Some child stars had a hard life, few with careers took awhile to recover if any.