Will Smith teams up with Jay-Z to produce the Annie remake with Willow Smith starring
The partnership began over dinner with Jada, Will, James Lassiter and Jay-Z, where they decided to co-invest in the now successful beauty products line Carol's Daughter. They continued this partnership as co-producers of the successful Broadway production Fela!, which earned a total of eleven Tony Award nominations in 2010.
Additionally, Willow Smith, managed by OE Executive Miguel Melendez, signed onto Jay-Z's record label, Roc Nation which produced her first single titled "Whip My Hair" has been certified Platinum. Jay-Z previously sampled the classic Annie song "It's the Hard Knock Life" in his chart-busting single "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)."
"The time is right to bring back Annie to the big screen. Of course, we're true believers in Willow's talent and believe she will be perfect in this role," said Columbia Pictures President Doug Belgrad. "Combining Willow with the Overbrook team that re-imagined The Karate Kid and the spectacular Jay-Z makes this a dream project. A decade ago, Jay-Z proved that the power of the underlying Broadway property remains, by showing how these songs could be reinterpreted for a new generation with Hard-Knock Life. We couldn't be more thrilled to be working with our friends at Overbrook as they launch this new venture."
"We are excited to partner together to develop and produce a wide variety of films with our longtime friend Jay-Z, with whom we share a common global vision, both commercially and philosophically, and look forward to collaborating once again with the incredibly talented executives at Sony," said Overbrook Co-Founder James Lassiter.
Stated Shawn Jay-Z Carter, "The Overbrook Entertainment family and I have a unified vision. We've already produced a Tony Award winning play and we're developing a true superstar in Willow. This venture into film development and production is a perfect next step with teams that are accomplished, creative, and innovative."
Overbrook Entertainment, founded by partners James Lassiter and Will Smith, is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment focused in film and television and has produced a diverse slate of both critically acclaimed and blockbuster feature films, which have generated more than $2.5 billion dollars in worldwide box office receipts and even more in home video sales. Some of Overbrook's most successful films include Ali, Hitch, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, I Am Legend, The Secret Life of Bees, and most recently The Karate Kid.
Roc Nation is a groundbreaking, multi-tiered, multi-genre music and entertainment company. Founded in 2008 by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter in collaboration with Live Nation, Roc Nation encompasses artist, songwriter, producer and engineer management; music publishing; touring & merchandising; new business ventures; and a music label.
The Broadway musical Annie is based upon the popular comic strip and features songs with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan. The show originally opened on April 21, 1977, and immediately became a hit, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In 1982, Columbia Pictures released a film adaptation directed by John Huston and starring Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, Tim Curry, and Aileen Quinn as Annie.
Annie was released May 21st, 1982 and stars Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, Aileen Quinn, Geoffrey Holder, Roger Minami. The film is directed by John Huston.
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TheSymbiote
Im sure this will be a decent movie but i wish smith had nothing to do with it
1 year agoby @thesymbioteFlag
Dan
@Punishment2012 You said it best, man.
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
nitti21
Awful, can't stand Will Smith anymore, after the awful karate kid remake, this is another low.
1 year agoby @nitti21Flag
larmindy
noooooooo....can't stand this
1 year agoby @larmindyFlag
MovieManiac
Isn't Annie supposed to be a ginger white girl. I dunno about giving the role of a ginger white girl to a black child and this is coming from a black guy.
1 year agoby @moviemaniac66Flag
Punishment 2012
90's will smith would of told hollywood to eat sh*t at this idea.... damn you smith... damn you.
1 year agoby @dizoyleFlag
RojoDiablo
I wish my dad was Will Smith!!
1 year agoby @rojodiabloFlag
SupermanEmpire
WTF? Really? Ahhhh hellll nahhhh
Mr. Smith...with all due respect...can you at least wait and see if your kids even have a remote want to do anything else with their lives before you whor* them all out to the entertianment industry.
1 year agoby @supermanempireFlag
Mutant
Every day I learn the Hollywood is robbing me my child hood. If they are not careful I might be forced to watch British shows and films for the rest of my life. At least those actors and directors care enough to have substance, plot, and story.
Hollywood bites.
1 year agoby @zenderFlag
Mutant
There's a reason why both were great, it had talented people in them.
This is a farce, what next Bednobs and Broomsticks with the Smith family.
1 year agoby @zenderFlag
DARTH69
BUT SHE'S NOT EVEN A GINGER!!!!
1 year agoby @mikeg79Flag
The Narrator: The Better Man
So they're remaking the '82 version, not the Shriley Temple one?
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
The Boondock Saint
at first, I was thinking "are you f*cking kidding me!!??" but then I thought, you know what, I felt the same way towards the karate kid remake, and I gotta say, i really enjoyed that film! I'll give this idea a shot.
1 year agoby @combatmadness360Flag
CUPID
WHOS CARES .
1 year agoby @cupidFlag
ed_wood
This is just horrible.
1 year agoby @ed-woodFlag
Punishment 2012
this makes me want to rip my eyes from there sockets... someone needs to whip her head back and forth till her stupidity is gone... and same goes for the prince..
1 year agoby @dizoyleFlag
Dan
Nobody wants to hear this on the radio, read it on the internet, or watch it on the silver screen.
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
SCREENWRITER
I heard about this on the radio. It made me spill my coffee.
1 year agoby @the-screenwriterFlag
Daveactor7
@Diaigma LMAO
1 year agoby @daveactor7Flag
The Narrator: The Better Man
Will! Divorce your kids! Lol.
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
Diaigma
No defenestration allowed on MW, @Dave :P
1 year agoby @diaigmaFlag
Daveactor7
Jay Z and Willow Smith..........*throws himself out of window*
1 year agoby @daveactor7Flag
Diaigma
Oh geez . . . X /
1 year agoby @diaigmaFlag
Dan
Barf.
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
Cyn
Oh god. Just what we need. More precocious children who think they're already movie stars...
1 year agoby @cyn-de-harvenFlag