A long way from the swamps of New Orleans, Beasts of the Southern Wild star Quvenzhane Wallis is set to take on the role of yet another spunky orphan. In a remake of the beloved Broadway musical Annie, Wallis, 10, is playing the title character, struggling as an orphan in Depression-era New York City.
With updated versions of songs like “Tomorrow,” “Hard Knock Life” and more, this version seems to have revamped the well-known story. Instead of a Daddy Warbucks — the tycoon who wants to adopt Annie — there’s hopeful political candidate Benjamin Stacks (played by Jamie Foxx), who wants to use an inner-city orphan to better his image. So it’s not quite the fairytale plot of the original.
Cameron Diaz comes off as more comical than terrifying as the evil headmistress owner of Annie’s orphanage, Miss Hannigan, quipping about wanting to marry George Clooney and asking Mr. Stacks to be her Facebook friend.
Wallis has already made a name for herself at an early age, earning an Oscar nomination for her role as Hushpuppy in 2012’s Beast of the Southern Wild, which she filmed at age 6. She became the youngest nominee ever in the Lead Actress category.
The youngster’s path doesn’t mirror her on-screen counterpart’s. She’s set to make $750,000, and that salary will double if the film makes $145 million domestically.
Annie hits theaters on Christmas Day. Watch the trailer above! ?
