Cameron Diaz has signed on to portray the infamous Miss Hannigan in the updated Jay Z and Will Smith produced version of ANNIE, starring Quvenzhané Wallis (BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD) as the titular character and Jamie Foxx as Daddy Warbucks. Directed by Will Gluck (FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, EASY A), this is the first film adaptation of Harold Gray's famed comic strip turned musical since 1982's version, which starred Albert Finney as Warbucks and Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan.
I'd say Diaz is a trade-up in looks for Miss Hannigan, but at the same time a little make-up (or lack there of) could make all the difference. Anyone that's seen BEING JOHN MALKOVICH will know that no matter how hot Ms. Diaz may be, she can still play ugly if she has to. I know it's kind of popular to rag on the actress, but I think she's made some solid choices throughout her career, balancing silly comedies like BAD TEACHER (and the upcoming BAD TEACHER 2) with some meatier roles, like the aforementioned MALKOVICH and Scorsese's GANGS OF NEW YORK, not to mention Ridley Scott's upcoming THE COUNSELOR.
ANNIE is set to debut on December 25, 2014.
What do you think? Is the sun going to come out tomorrow for this latest version of ANNIE?