2014 American film
Annie is an upcoming 2014 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Will Gluck and produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith. It stars Quvenzhané Wallis in the title role and Jamie Foxx in the role of Will Stacks, an update of Daddy Warbucks. It is a contemporary adaptation of the musical of the same name, which in turn is based upon the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray.
The third film adaptation following Columbia Pictures' 1982 theatrical film and Disney's 1999 made-for-television film, it began production in August 2013 and will be released on December 19, 2014.[2][3]
Plot
A class of young children are doing presentations on former presidents. Up next is 10-year-old Annie Bennett (Quvenzhane Wallis). She decides to do her report on Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a performance piece, and she gets her classmates to join her in stomping their feet and making noises as part of the bit.
Annie runs to a restaurant in the city where she waits for her parents to show up and finally reclaim her. They never come. The restaurant owner gives her cannolis to take home. Annie also stops by a convenience store and gets flowers from the manager Lou (David Zayas) to give to his "lady". Annie gets back to her foster home and climbs up the fire escape to rejoin her foster sisters - Isabella (Eden Duncan-Smith), Tessie (Zoe Margaret Coletti), Mia (Nicolette Pierini), and Pepper (Amanda Troya). They're looked over by the mean Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz), who used to be a performer and is now miserable for having to take care of the girls. The girls lament not being adopted ("Maybe").
Hannigan wakes the girls up early on Saturday to make them clean the place up as an inspector from Social Services is set to arrive. They sing "It's The Hard Knock Life" as they do their chores. The inspector (Mike Birbiglia) comes over, and Hannigan flirts with him. After he leaves the room, the girls notice that he dropped a document containing their records. Annie takes it and seizes the opportunity to seek out her real parents. She makes an excuse with Hannigan to go out and do something while she goes on her mission. Annie stops by Lou's to do some work to get the money needed to get the documents.
We meet Mr. Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx), a cell phone mogul who is running for mayor of New York City. With him is his hotshot adviser Guy (Bobby Cannavale), his assistant Grace (Rose Byrne), and bodyguard Nash (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje). Will is a germaphobe and also not very popular with voters compared to the current favorite Harold Gray (Peter Van Wagner). Will goes to feed the homeless and tries to eat the mashed potatoes to show how much he cares, only for him to spit it out in the face of a homeless man...three times.
Annie is unable to learn anything about her parents since she's not in the system. She walks home singing "Tomorrow". After the song, she sees two boys chasing a dog and throwing things at it. Annie chases after them and yells at them to stop. At the same time, Will is walking down the street. Annie accidentally bumps into him and falls into the street. Will grabs her and pulls her up right before a van drives by.
A video of Will's heroic act hits the web, and he moves up several points in the race. Guy suggests to him that he find Annie and use her to make himself look good for the public. Will sends Grace to the foster home to find Annie. She takes her back to Will's place, where, on the way, she sees the video of her rescue.
Annie meets Will again, and he offers her to stay there for a bit. She knows there's a catch, and he admits the plan. She jokes that he could be president if she moved in. The adults get somebody to approve the temporary guardianship for Will. Annie then takes a tour around the place and is impressed with everything ("I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here").
Will sets the plan in motion by taking Annie out to do whatever she wants. They adopt the dog from the streets (to Will's dismay), and Annie names it Sandy. He later takes Annie and the foster girls to the premiere of a cheesy movie (with cameos from Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and Rihanna), and then to buy a bunch of things for the girls. The girls are taken back to the foster home, and Hannigan orders them to take back all the nice things they got (they don't). She once again bemoans her current position in life ("Little Girls").
Gray gets endorsed by Michael J. Fox, leading Will to get a bit desperate. He decides to take Annie on a ride over the city in his chopper ("The City's Yours"). Annie is pleased.
Annie joins Will and company at an event. Will invites Annie up on stage for the people to see her in her pretty red dress. She starts to sing "Opportunity", and the orchestra joins in. After the performance, Guy tells Annie to read a speech that he wrote up. Annie is quiet and leaves the stage upset. Will and Grace (ha) run after her, and Annie admits that she doesn't know how to read. Will says he will get her a tutor.
After talking to Will, Guy devises a plan to get Annie's real parents...or rather, people to pretend to be her parents to get her off Will's hands. Guy teams up with Hannigan to set their scheme in motion ("Easy Street"), because, if Will looks heroic and reunites Annie with her parents, Guy gets a nice payday to look forward to. Hannigan later auditions a bunch of (horrible) actors to play the part, and she is not pleased with any of them
Cast
- Jamie Foxx as William "Will" Stacks, a wealthy politician based on Oliver Warbucks.
- Quvenzhané Wallis as Annie Bennett, a poor orphan in a foster home who desires to search for her parents.
- Rose Byrne as Grace Farrell, Stacks' faithful personal assistant and Annie's mother figure.
- Bobby Cannavale as Guy[4] a "bulldog political adviser" to Stacks.
- Cameron Diaz as Miss Colleen Hannigan, the cruel control freak of the foster home where Annie resides.
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Nash, "the tough but lovable bodyguard and driver for Stacks and a good friend of Annie." He evokes the traits of Punjab and The Asp.[5]
- Tracie Thoms and Dorian Missick have been cast as Annie's "fake parents",[6] based on the characters Lily St. Regis and Rooster Hannigan.
- David Zayas as Lou, the local bodega owner who is a friend of Annie and has a crush on Miss Hannigan.[7]
- Nicolette Pierini as Mia Putnam, the smallest orphan.
- Amanda Troya as Pepper Ulster, the bossiest orphan.[8]
- Eden Duncan-Smith as Isabella Sullivan, one of Annie's foster sisters.
- Zoe Margaret Colletti as Tessie Dutchess
- Mike Birbiglia as Social Services inspector
- Stephanie Kurtzuba as Mrs. Kovacevic
- Peter Van Wagner as Harold Gray, Stacks' mayoral opponent. The name "Harold Gray" is a nod to the creator of the Little Orphan Annie comic strip.
Actors Michael J. Fox, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and Rihanna make cameo appearances; Fox as himself during a promo for Stacks' mayoral opponent; Kunis, Kutcher, and Rihanna as the stars of a fictional Avatar/Twilight-style film called Moonquake Lake.
Musical numbers
The soundtrack features songs from the original Broadway production, written by composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Martin Charnin, and arranged by Sia and Greg Kurstin. The album, which was executive produced by Kurstin, includes songs from the film as performed by Wallis, Diaz, Foxx, Byrne, Cannavale, Troya, Smith, Pierini, and Colletti. Sia and Kurstin wrote three new songs for the soundtrack, including "Opportunity", "Who Am I", and "Moonquake Lake". Sia also co-wrote "The City's Yours" with Stargate. Matt Sullivan served as the film’s Executive Music Supervisor.[9][10]
- "Overture"
- "Maybe" - Annie, Tessie, Mia, Isabella, and Pepper
- "It's the Hard Knock Life" - Annie, Tessie, Mia, Isabella, and Pepper
- "Tomorrow" - Annie
- "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" - Annie, Grace, and Mrs. Kovacevic
- "Little Girls" - Miss Hannigan
- "The City's Yours" - Will and Annie
- "Opportunity" - Annie
- "Easy Street" - Guy and Miss Hannigan
- "Who Am I?" - Miss Hannigan, Will, and Annie
- "I Don't Need Anything But You" - Will, Annie, and Grace
- "Tomorrow/I Don't Need Anything But You" (Finale) - Cast
Production
Sony first announced the remake in January 2011, with Jay-Z and Will Smith serving as producers, as well as Willow Smith, Will's daughter, signed to play the lead role.[11] In February 2011, Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy became front-runner to direct the film,[12] but by March, he had declined.[13]
The production soon began seeking a screenwriter, with actress Emma Thompson being considered as a contender.[14] No developments on the film arrived until May 2012, when Will Smith appeared on Good Morning America and provided updates, including that the film would be set in modern day New York City, confirming Thompson was providing a script and that Jay-Z would also provide newly written songs for the film.[15] In July 2012, We Bought a Zoo screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna wrote a second draft of the script.[16] In August, it was announced production was to begin in Spring 2013.[17]
In January 2013, Easy A director Will Gluck was hired to direct, but Willow Smith had dropped out.[18]
Casting
By February, Beasts of the Southern Wild star and Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis had replaced Smith in the lead role,[19] and the film had secured a Christmas 2014 release.[20]
In March, the search for the rest of the cast continued, with Justin Timberlake rumored for the role of Daddy Warbucks[21] This was proven false when Jamie Foxx signed on for the role, now named Will Stacks.[22] In June, Cameron Diaz was cast as the evil Miss Hannigan, after Sandra Bullock declined.[23]
In July, Rose Byrne joined the cast as Grace Farrell, Stacks's faithful assistant[24] and in August, Boardwalk Empire star Bobby Cannavale joined the cast as a "bulldog political adviser" to Will Stacks.[25] In September the rest of the cast was announced with Amanda Troya, Nicolette Pierini, Eden Duncan-Smith and Zoe Colletti as the orphans.[26]
As of September 19, principal photography had begun.[27][28] Shooting was done at Grumman Studios.[29] Other scenes will be filmed at the new Four World Trade Center.
Release
Annie will be theatrically released in the United States on December 19, 2014 and in the United Kingdom the following day.
Piracy
On November 27, 2014, three weeks ahead of the film's premiere, a DVD-quality illegal leak was downloaded, via piracy sites.
