Annie Information

Annie is an upcoming 2014 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Will Gluck and produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith. It stars Quvenzhan 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 fourth film adaptation following Columbia Pictures' 1982 theatrical film, the 1995 television sequel Annie: A Royal Adventure! and Disney's 1999 made-for-television film, it began production in August 2013 and will be released on December 19, 2014.

The film is nominated for two Golden Globes, Best Actress - Comedy or Musical (for Wallis) and Best Original Song (for Opportunity).

Plot

Ten-year-old Annie Bennett is a foster child living in Harlem. She lives with the alcoholic and bitter Colleen Hannigan, who has taken in four other foster children--Isabella, Tessie, Mia, and Pepper--in order to receive money from the state. Unlike the other girls, Annie believes her parents will one day return for her and imagines what they might be like ("Maybe"). Hannigan, annoyed by the girls' singing, puts them to work cleaning up the apartment ahead of a visit from their social worker ("It's the Hard-Knock Life").

On the other side of the city, Will Stacks, cell phone mogul and billionaire, is running a disastrous campaign for mayor of New York City. His hotshot adviser Guy, his assistant Grace, and bodyguard Nash attempt to help him clean up his public image, but Stacks' general dislike for people alienates him from would-be voters.

Walking home from after another failed attempt to discover her parents ("Tomorrow"), Annie is rescued by Stacks from the path of a speeding truck. A video of Stacks' heroism goes viral, and his approval rating goes up. Guy suggests that Stacks invite Annie to his home for lunch as a publicity stunt to capitalize on the public interest in Annie. Annie, recognizing an opportunity, suggests that Stacks become her temporary guardian, promising him more photo opportunities. Stacks agrees, and Annie moves into his luxurious but lonely penthouse ("I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here"). Meanwhile, Hannigan is frustrated that Annie has become famous while her own life goes nowhere ("Little Girls").

Stacks arranges many public outings with Annie, always in the eye of reporters and social media, including taking her to a film premiere with her foster sisters ("You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile"). Grace and Nash are charmed by their new charge and soon grow to love her. Annie, however, grows concerned that Stacks never seems to enjoy himself and does her best to cheer him up. Stacks, in turn, begins to see that Annie's life mirrors his own disadvantaged childhood. He begins to open up to her, culminating in the two bonding over their mutual love of New York City ("The City's Yours"). However, during a public event when Stacks asks Annie to read a speech ("Opportunity"), he learns that Annie is illiterate, making him realize that he cares for Annie and makes plans to formally adopt her.

Guy, who does not see or understand the change, plans to stage a publicity stunt in which Stacks will reunite Annie with her parents. This, he believes, will be the final stroke to getting Stacks elected mayor, while securing for Guy a huge bonus that will allow him to retire from public relations. He offers Hannigan part of his anticipated bonus if she will help him find a set of fake parents to present to the public at the right moment ("Easy Street"), but when Hannigan bungles her end of the deal, he ditches her in favor of hiring two actors and faking a DNA test.

Annie is publicly reunited with her "parents". Stacks is miserable at the prospect of losing her, and Hannigan is disturbed to learn that Guy plans to leave Annie with these strangers until after the election, then abandon her on the streets. Hannigan, Will, and Annie reflect on their inner conflict ("Who Am I?") before Hannigan, along with the foster girls, goes to Stacks to tell him that Annie is in danger.

After an extended car/helicopter chase, the fake parents are cut off by Stacks' helicopter and the police. Annie is rescued, but, due to the comments the impostors made, still believes that Stacks betrayed her. To prove himself, Stacks goes to the reporters on the scene and formally announces he is withdrawing from the mayoral race in order to spend more time with his new adopted daughter Annie. At Annie's urging, Stacks invites Grace to dinner, and the two kiss, marking their new romantic relationship. Annie, Grace, and Stacks look forward to their future as a family ("I Don't Need Anything But You").

Some time later, Stacks is devoting his time and money by giving back to New York City, starting by founding a literacy center. Annie is able to read a speech at the opening for the center. The film concludes with the whole cast singing a reprise of "Tomorrow".

Cast

• Jamie Foxx as William "Will" Stacks, a wealthy politician based on Oliver Warbucks.
• Quvenzhan 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, 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.
• Tracie Thoms and Dorian Missick as Annie's "fake parents", 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.
• Peter Van Wagner as Harold Gray, Stacks' mayoral opponent; the name is a nod to the creator of the Little Orphan Annie comic strip.

Michael J. Fox, Patricia Clarkson, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Bobby Moynihan, and Rihanna make cameo appearances in the film.

The Orphans

• Nicolette Pierini as Mia Putnam, the smallest orphan.
• Amanda Troya as Pepper Ulster, the bossiest orphan.
• Eden Duncan-Smith as Isabella Sullivan, one of Annie's foster sisters.
• Zoe Margaret Colletti as Tessie Dutchess, one of Annie's foster sisters.

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.

1. "Overture"
2. "Maybe" - Annie, Tessie, Mia, Isabella, and Pepper
3. "It's the Hard Knock Life" - Annie, Tessie, Mia, Isabella, and Pepper
4. "Tomorrow" - Annie
5. "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" - Annie and Grace
6. "Little Girls" - Miss Hannigan
7. "The City's Yours" - Will and Annie
8. "Opportunity" - Annie
9. "Easy Street" - Guy and Miss Hannigan
10. "Who Am I?" - Miss Hannigan, Will, and Annie
11. "I Don't Need Anything But You" - Will, Annie, and Grace
12. "Tomorrow" (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. In February 2011, Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy became front-runner to direct the film, but by March, he had declined.

The production soon began seeking a screenwriter, with actress Emma Thompson being considered. 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, that Thompson was providing a script, and that Jay-Z would also provide newly written songs for the film. In July 2012, We Bought a Zoo screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna wrote a second draft of the script. In August, it was announced production was to begin in Spring 2013.

In January 2013, Easy A director Will Gluck was hired to direct, but Willow Smith had dropped out.

Casting

By February, Beasts of the Southern Wild star and Oscar nominee Quvenzhan Wallis had replaced Smith in the lead role, and the film had scheduled a Christmas 2014 release.

In March, the search for the rest of the cast continued, with Justin Timberlake rumored for the role of Daddy Warbucks. This was proven false when Jamie Foxx signed on for the role, now named Will Stacks. In June, Cameron Diaz was cast as Miss Hannigan, after Sandra Bullock declined.

In July, Rose Byrne joined the cast as Grace Farrell, Stacks's faithful assistant and in August, Boardwalk Empire star Bobby Cannavale joined the cast as a "bulldog political adviser" to Will Stacks. In September, the rest of the cast was announced with Amanda Troya, Nicolette Pierini, Eden Duncan-Smith, and Zoe Colletti as Annie's foster sisters.

As of September 19, principal photography had begun. Shooting was done at Grumman Studios. Other scenes were filmed at the new Four World Trade Center.

Differences between the stage musical and the film adaptations

The 2014 film adaptation is a contemporary take on the 1977 Broadway musical and differs largely from the source material, in some ways more faithful to the story of the 1982 version. Most of these changes are because of the shift from the musical's setting of 1933 and the film in 2013-2014.

• Several songs had updated/altered lyrics, including "It's the Hard Knock Life", "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here", "Little Girls", "Easy Street", and "I Don't Need Anything But You". Many songs were omitted from the 2014 film, mostly due to the lyrics having to do with the 1933 setting (i.e. "We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover", "A New Deal for Christmas") or for unspecified reasons ("N.Y.C."). "Something Was Missing", although absent from the film, was recorded by Jamie Foxx and is featured on Target exclusive releases of the soundtrack. "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" is no longer a character number and is now a song played in the background.
• In standing with modern American tradition the role of Annie has been given to a black girl to avoid offending the Basketball Americans. This despite that Annie's clasic look was as a littel white girl with curly red hair.
• A very noticeable change from the musical is that Miss Hannigan's brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily are absent. In the musical and previous adaptations, Rooster and Lily posed as Annie's parents in order to steal the $50,000 reward offered by Warbucks for the arrival of Annie's parents.
• Different versions depict Miss Hannigan's fate: in the musical, Miss Hannigan is arrested along with Rooster and Lily; in the 1982 film, Rooster and Lily are arrested, and Miss Hannigan absolves herself, trying to stop Rooster from hurting Annie; in the 1999 TV film, Miss Hannigan pleads insanity and is taken away to an insane asylum; and in this version, she redeems herself just like in the 1982 film.

Release

Annie will be theatrically released in the United States on December 19, 2014 and in the United Kingdom the following day. In the US, the film was given a PG rating for "some mild language and rude humor", and, in the UK, a PG classification for "mild bad language".

Piracy

The film was leaked onto peer-to-peer file sharing websites on November 27, over three weeks ahead of its intended public release. Along with it came Fury and three other at-the-time unreleased Sony Pictures films (Mr. Turner, Still Alice, and To Write Love on Her Arms). Within three days of the initial leak, Annie had been downloaded by an estimated 206,000 unique IPs (compared to Fury, which was downloaded 1.2 million times in the same period).

Reception

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
Golden Globe Award	January 11, 2015	Best Lead Actress in a Comedy or Musical Motion Picture	Quvenzhan Wallis
		Best Original Song	"Opportunity" - Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, Will Gluck
NAACP Image Award	February 6, 2015	Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture	Quvenzhan Wallis