Will Smith and Jay-Z Produce a Modern Day Version of ‘Annie’

The story of little orphan Annie is one of the most well known musicals of all time. The truth is people know the 1982 film version, or the stage version, but not the 2014 musical comedy-drama “Annie,” that is directed by Will Gluck and produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith.

This time, things have changed in the realm of Annie, with this contemporary adaptation of Daddy Warbucks as Will Stacks, who is played by Jamie Foxx. Taking the place of the title role is Quvenzhane Wallis, well known for her starring role in “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” for which she was only six years old when shooting. Also starring is Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Cameron Diaz, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.

Director, producer, and screenwriter of this new “Annie,” Will Gluck, admitted to his initial fear in starting the project. “I was very scared going into this, if I was going to ruin a lot of kids’ childhoods. Many people who love Annie were Annie, their sisters were Annie, their moms were Annie, and they have this memory of being Annie when they put it on stage in middle school. So we didn’t want to touch that memory, we wanted to create our own and I hope we did it.”

In case you’re unaware of the original premise, Annie is a young foster child who has been through tough experiences on the streets of New York, and who simply wants to find a home to call her own. It’s been a “hard knock life” for her ever since she was taken in by foster mom, Miss Hannigan, and up until the point that she meets New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks.

If the clever rendition isn’t enough to draw you in, just thinking about that cast will certainly make you regret shoving this film to the side. You can watch this modern-day Annie on Dec.19.

‘Annie’ will be in theaters Dec. 19.