Quvenzhane Wallis (photo: glamour.com)
By Michael Gioia
Golden Globe nominee Cameron Diaz has signed on for “Annie,” the upcoming film remake of the 1982 movie musical that will star 2013 Academy Award nominee Quvenzhane Wallis “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, according to Deadline.com.
Diaz, known for her on-screen work in such films as “There’s Something About Mary,” “Shrek,” “Being John Malkovich” and “Charlie’s Angels,” has concluded negotiations with Sony’s Columbia Pictures to play the evil orphanage matron Miss Hannigan.
Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock “The Blind Side” was previously in talks to star.
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx “Ray” is attached to star opposite Wallis in the film, which will be produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z. He will play a character named Benjamin Stacks, a variation of Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks.
As previously reported, the film is expected to begin production this August, and some of the characters’ names have been changed for the remake. An earlier casting notice for the Columbia Pictures film asked for actresses to play an 11-year-old foster child
named Isabella, who dreams of a better life involving a “no-limit credit
card and shopping sprees galore,” and an eight-year-old child named
Mia, who has a slight speech impediment. Other orphan characters such as
Tessie and Pepper remain similar to the original 1977 musical.
soulbrotherspeaks.com 