Shawn Corey “Jay-Z” Carter’s remake of classic musical ANNIE is due to start shooting next year, according to screenplay writer and film star Emma Thompson
“I have been writing the script for nearly three years, it’s exciting.” said Thompson, who won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her Adapted Screenplay of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995). She went on to say she would look forward to “having dinner with Jay-Z”, who is writing the music for the remake.
“Jay-Z has already started working on the music. We will start shooting in the spring in New York.” He previously sampled Annie’s song from the original movie for his 1998 hit Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Album).
The remake is based on the 1982 film version and will take place in a modern day New York, with Will Smith’s daughter Willow taking on the lead role, following in the footsteps of her parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinket-Smith. When asked about 11-year-old Willow, Thompson replied, “I really like Willow. She is getting so tall. I mean both Willow and Jayden (her 14-year old brother, star of THE KARATE KID – 2010) are remarkable.”
The new film will retain some of the old ANNIE songs, but some are to be cut to make room for Jay-Z’s “reworking” of the soundtrack.
Emma Thompson is currently appearing in cinemas as the voice of Queen Elinor in Disney/Pixar’s BRAVE, reviewed here.
Source: BBC
