Sandra Bullock may don the role of Miss Hannigan in the film remake of "Annie", according to a report in The Wrap. It seems the Oscar-winning actress wasn't interested in the role of the child-hating matron of the orphanage earlier, but has recently opened up to the idea. The talks are still in the early stage.
The remake of "Annie" is being produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z through their companies Overbrook Entertainment and Marcy Media (respectively), and is slated for release on Christmas Day next year. Smith's daughter Willow was originally supposed to take on the titular role of the orphan who wishes to find her parents, but now Quvenzhane Wallis has been cast for that part.
Last month, Smith explained the reason for Willow dropping out of playing "Annie". "Willow chose singing and then un-chose it. She said, 'Daddy, I want to go to school with my friends during the week, and I want to hang out with them on the weekends.' At the peak of 'Whip My Hair', she's like, 'Daddy, I'm done.' I was like, 'Wow, wow, wow. No, baby, I got 'Annie', you know. It'll be New York, you'll be with Beyoncé. You can bring your friends.' And she said, 'Daddy, I got a better idea. How about I just be 12?'" said Smith in an interview available on Vulture.
The "Annie" star cast so far includes Jamie Foxx as Benjamin Stacks, said to be based on the character of Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks.
"Annie" is a Broadway musical based on the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" that originally opened in 1977 and ran for six years. Since then, it has been produced in other countries as well. Film adaptations were seen in 1982 and 1999. The 2014 remake of "Annie" will be directed by Will Gluck, who has "Easy A" and "Friends With Benefits" on his resume. The script is being penned by Emma Thompson and Aline Brosh McKenna.
With Jay-Z as a producer, speculation is rife that the songs may be contemporized for a modern-day audience; the rapper himself sampled "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the original musical for his track "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" in 1998.
