Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis will star in Will Smith's 'Annie'
'Beasts of the Southern Wild' star will play the eponymous little orphan
Quvenzhane Wallis
Credit: Jordan Strauss/AP
It was rumored last week, but now it's official: "Beasts of the Southern Wild" star Quvenzhané Wallis has signed on to star Sony's heavily revised update of "Annie."
The new version of the classic musical is eying a winter 2014 release date and will be directed by Will Gluck ("Easy A"). Gluck is currently rewriting the screenplay, which was written by Emma Thompson and rewritten by Aline Brosh McKenna from the stage play, which was based on the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip.
The high-octane "Annie" production team includes James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith through Overbrook Entertainment, as well as Shawn Carter -- You know him as "Jay-Z" -- and Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith.
Wallis will, of course, play the title character, an ragamuffin who dreams of escaping her hard knock life of poverty, grifters and sociopathic orphanage administrators, perhaps with the help of the yet-to-be-cast Oliver Warbucks.
One of the breakout stars of 2012, the nine-year-old Wallis has been up for a slew of awards for her role as Hushpuppy in "Beasts of the Southern Wild," including a Oscar on Sunday (February 24) night.
"With the recent Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim, Quvenzhané Wallis is a true star and we believe her portrayal as Annie will make her a true worldwide star," blurbs Columbia Pictures President of Production Hannah Minghella. "She is an extraordinary young talent with an amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can’t wait for audiences to further discover her."
Wallis' "Beasts" follow-up will be a role in Steve McQueen's "Twelve Years a Slave" opposite Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender. The "Annie" press release somewhat adorably tells us that her passtimes are reading, singing, dancing, acting, and playing her iPod and Nintendo DS, while her favorite sports are basketball, volleyball, dance and cheerleading.
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupA completely serious question
February 24, 2013 at 3:46PM EST Reply to CommentWill 98% of her speaking be done in voiceover to cover her lack of proficiency at actual acting?
Matt Perhaps we can't tell for sure yet if her wonderful performance in "Beasts" was just a result of skilled direction, but evidence (including her off-screen charisma) suggests not. On what basis are you claiming this "lack of proficiency"?
February 24, 2013 at 3:52PM ESTdan A Completely Serious Question - My completely serious question back to you: Who is the 8-to-10-year-old actress who you feel confident enough as a legitimate thespian to say that they could be cast in this role without any directorial finagling required to mask any limitations in acting? This is not casting Hamlet. This is casting the part of a small child. You're not gonna get Ryan Gosling or Helen Mirren. You're going to get a small child. 95% of child actors of that age are going to require some measure of trickery either in production or in editing to mask inexperience and if they *don't* require that trickery, it's probably because they're robotic moppets.
February 24, 2013 at 4:12PM EST-Daniel
Matt
February 24, 2013 at 3:47PM EST Reply to Comment"With the recent Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim, Quvenzhané Wallis is a true star..."
Heh. Thank god we have those measures for stardom. Otherwise, how could we possibly know?
Jonnybon
February 24, 2013 at 4:22PM EST Reply to CommentMy completely serious question: Is Annie an orphan or an ragamuffin? :)