Will Smith Developing 'Annie' Remake As Starring Vehicle For Daughter Willow

I can't promise this will be the last remake news for the week, but after this one I'll try to present some news that has the spark of the new. Will Smith and Sony are working on a new version of Annie. Much like the new version of The Karate Kid, which Mr. Smith developed for his son Jaden, this is being designed as a star vehicle for his daughter Willow Smith.

Beyond that, we have few details. The one tantalizing bit is that Jay-Z is in talks to work on music for the film. He was part of the creation of Willow Smith's single 'Whip My Hair,' which became a sensation last year. Annie is a story that could be remade without any fuss, and could either be faithfully recreated or given some contemporary flair and new songs. I'd expect the latter, but we don't know what is planned. If Sony can lock down Jay-Z and capture the energy that people responded to with 'Whip My Hair,' this Annie might be huge. [Variety]