Holiday Release Date Set for Annie Remake, Starring Oscar Nominee Quvenzhane Wallis

A new deal for Christmas, indeed! Will Gluck’s remake of the Tony-winning musical Annie will be released on December 25, 2014, according to Deadline.com. The project, starring Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis as the title character, will begin shooting later this year.

The re-imagined Annie movie will move the story's events to a present day setting and feature music by Jay-Z. Gluck is working on revising Emma Thompson and Aline Brosh McKenna’s screenplay, which is based on the iconic comic strip and musical. The film will be produced by Jay-Z, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and James Lassiter.

Annie first opened on Broadway on April 21, 1977, and ran for 2,377 performances. Featuring music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan, the musical took home seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The musical has previously been adapted for the big screen in 1982 and again as a 1999 made-for-TV movie. A traditional staging of the musical currently runs at Broadway’s Palace Theatre.