Will Smith to Helm ANNIE Movie Remake Starring Daughter Willow?- Page 3

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 10:15am

A lot of this depends on the rest of the casting, the time frame it's set in and whether they re-interpret the score or start from scratch.

The Smiths seriously bug...if Will's aim was to raise kids as smug and full of themselves as he is, he's succeeded and then some.

[bryan2]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 10:41am

Willow is really cute and can sing but the Disneys Annie
was great ....let it rest

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 10:57am

I am only on board with this if Cee Lo Green plays Daddy Warbucks (a suggestion that I saw elsewhere).

And, ditto to finding the Smith kids spoiled and smug. I couldn't even root for Jaden's character in The Karate Kid remake.

[romgitsean]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 11:09am

finishmyhat, I agree; however, I suppose Annie isn't entirely realistic to begin with though, so to an extent it only really matters so much... and Audra McDonald played Ferrell in 1999, and last time I checked, she's black, and historically speaking, Mr. Warbucks wouldn't have had a black secretary (most likely not a woman secretary either - but that's besides the point).

I think it is a dumb call on Smith's part. I'm not against Willow being Annie for reasons of color, as I stated, because it is more or less a family musical, and I think in this day-and-age, families would see past that - but I don't think Willow has the innocence. It's kinda crucial for Annie to be innocent, and Willow is a prepubescent girl who acts like a teenager.

However, as broadwayjim42 said - it would be interesting to see a reinterpretation, perhaps... if they DID want to make it about a race thing, change it to the 50's or 60's or something. Note, I'm only humoring the idea of this film by saying that...unless they do completely write a new score.

But how will this effect the upcoming Broadway revival? Will this version take place of the revival or will this version become the revival? I could hardly imagine that they would have an Annie remake and Broadway revival running at the same time.

[chellylovesrent]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 11:32am

I'm not sure about this idea-both a remake and having Willow. I think they should leave the original Annie alone, but maybe Willow will do a good job. It also depends on who else is in the movie.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 11:49am

Monique as Hannigan.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 12:03pm

Mo'Nique as Harrigan? Would be hilarious if they were going for an R rating. The shadow of Mary would hang over that casting.

The '99 Annie followed the color-blind "Cinderella" of '97, which, by all counts, was pretty well-received.

I can't see Willow as Annie unless she takes a class in humility. Unless they update and revise the hell out of it, Annie is more "Gosh!" and Willow seems more "harumph."

[Katurian2]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 1:20pm

I would see this in a heartbeat if Cee Lo were in it.

But to people griping that we just had another 'Annie,' you don't really think this is going to be a by-the-book redo like the Disney version was, do you? Willow Smith isn't going to damage her 'cool' cred by doing a standard sort of Broadway thing. I think there's going to be a lot of remixed and new songs and a much different style overall. Jay-Z's Hard Knock Life was posted, and I think that's closwer to what we will see than anything else.

Not that I'm excited for that. 90% of the time, I loathe rap/hip-hop/R&B, but that's still my prediction.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 1:41pm

The son was on ELLEN yesterday and he was irritating to watch. I turned the TV off at that point.

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 2:14pm

I don't know how I feel about this; the Smiths are really starting to annoy me, too.. although I love Jada's show, "HawthoRNe."



On a side note, madbrian, Vanessa Williams would make an amazing Hannigan!

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 3:30pm

My thought is why can't they come up with something original to feature her talents? Annie has been done twice. We can see it on video.

[TheLadyoftheWood]

Posted: 1/28/11 at 12:55am

According to some Black Gossip websites Jay-Z is going to be playing Daddy Warbucks' bodyguard Punjab.

[KylieS]

Posted: 1/28/11 at 3:47am

Why on earth would every single person in this movie need to be black because Annie is? Or are all these casting suggestions just "ha ha, black Annie is funny! Let's talk about some more ways black people in Annie could be funny!" Idgi, either way.

I think Annie's being black could be very interesting in certain contexts - someone suggested transplanting it to the '50s or to modern-day, and I think that really any era is OK as long as the movie is conscious of the intersections of race and class in American culture and how that would realistically affect the story. (As much as I love Audra McDonald I HATED her being cast as Grace in the movie remake, because here's Daddy Warbucks hooking up with his black secretary in 1930whatever and that's just fine by everybody happy smileytimes yay!) I think I'm a minority of one on this board in that I like the Smiths, I think they have the talent to support their all-in-the-family productions, I think this sounds interesting and I'm excited to see whether it works.

If, however, they do not get rid of or *substantially* revise the atrocious racist caricatures that are Punjab and the Asp then I am just so done with this whole thing. I can hardly deal with it in the '82 version, and I love basically every other single thing about that movie. Please. No magical Indian. No Asian bodyguard who only speaks karate backgrounded by gongs. Just say no, Smiths.
Updated On: 1/28/11 at 03:47 AM

[donte7162004]

Posted: 1/29/11 at 8:22pm

I just heard that Justin Beiber's Mom bought the rights to Roots, and Justin will be starring as Kunta Kinte.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 1/29/11 at 9:02pm

"and I think that really any era is OK"

Really?! Because the show is a PERIOD piece. You can't just take it out of it's set time period and have it work.

This is a character who is known to millions. If you change everything about the way there character is, it's not the same character any more.


I'll be the one to be an a-hole at this point:

She's going to look like a clown with a red afro on.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 5:36pm

http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/glees-ryan-murphy-courted-to-direct-annie-with-willow-smith/

Glee creator Ryan Murphy is Sony Pictures’ top choice to direct a re-imagining of the Broadway musical Annie, with Willow Smith playing the lovable orphan. The project was recently set at Sony Pictures by Overbrook Entertainment partners James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith in the joint venture they formed with Jay-Z to generate films. Sony Pictures has made the approach to Murphy, but it’s early days. Updated On: 2/9/11 at 05:36 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/9/11 at 8:39pm

"What did they used to call this sort of thing in the movies in the 1970's? Black-ploitation?"

I don't think this falls into that category.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/10/11 at 2:57am

I'd still like someone to explain to me how they could even think about changing the time period...

Considering FRD is the 'current' president in a show set in the Depression and an orphanage (which sort of disappeared along with work houses after Social Security and Foster Care began).

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 2/10/11 at 8:20am

I realize this might not be some people's cup of tea, but there is a huge audience out there for this. And if it gets a new, diverse, group of young people into musicals how can it be a bad thing?
I've gotta admit I loved Annie as a kid but as an adult I find it pretty much unbearable. So it's not so sacred to me as it might be to others.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 2/10/11 at 8:21am

And if Cee Lo is in it I will be there opening night in spite of my hate for Annie.

[tazber]

Posted: 2/10/11 at 8:55am

Well, it's a "re-imagining" (Hollywood's latest buzz word).

Annie ultimately does not need to be a period piece. At its heart its about an optimistic orphan who finds a family and teaches a wealthy man that there is more to life than money, namely love.

The only thing they would need to change is the FDR subplot. Given the current recession this could actually be a perfect time for a re-imagining.

Make Warbucks a banker at Goldman Sachs. They can even throw in an epiphany for him when he realizes how the banking industry was partially to blame for causing the financial hardship from which Annie comes.
The ability to add a contemporary social commentary is clearly present.

Hannigan, Rooster, and Lilly would still want to exploit Annie. if anything their scheme could be even more nefarious than in the original.

I suppose the main issue is going to be the score. I would imagine that they will change it a great deal and make it more contemporary. Not sure how the rights will be worked out.
Do the creative team need to approve any changes? I'm assuming that that issue has been worked out though since its clearly moving forward.

So all in all I think the material could easily be adapted.

Having said all that, I am not at all excited for this. Both of the Annie movie adaptations are flat out terrible (imo) and I don't think we need a third.

Updated On: 2/10/11 at 08:55 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/10/11 at 9:44am

Wait, I thought Streisand was going to play Annie in the film.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/10/11 at 9:51am

No, Streisand is playing Pepper!

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/10/11 at 9:56am

No Jordan, it was reported that it would conflict with her filming the re-make of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. As a musical.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/10/11 at 9:57am

Oh. I thought Will Smiths daughter was playing Pittman.