Cameron Diaz joins ‘Annie’
Cameron Diaz has joined the cast of Annie.
The A-list actress will play spiteful orphanage owner Miss Hannigan in Will Gluck’s remake of the classic musical movie, after Sandra Bullock allegedly turned down the part.
Diaz’s tyrannical character is set to cause chaos for mischievous orphan Annie, played by nine-year-old rising star Quvenzhane Wallis, who was the youngest ever actress to receive a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Jamie Foxx is on board set to play Benjamin Stacks, a new version of original character Daddy Warbucks, a wealthy yet cold-hearted man who takes Annie in.
The movie, produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z, will put a fresh spin on the family-favourite tale, originally adapted from a newspaper comic strip into a musical in 1977, followed by a popular film in 1982.
Fans can also expect a modern soundtrack from co-producer Jay-Z after his recent work on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby score.
The project has been in the pipeline since 2010 when Smith and Jay-Z conceived the film as a starring vehicle for Smith’s young daughter, Willow, who decided to abandon the lead role last year.
Aline Brosh McKenna and Easy A helmer Gluck are busy penning the script, with filming beginning later this year for a Christmas 2014 release date.
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