For those that don’t remember, Jay-Z scored a huge hit with the song “Hard Knock Life,” which had Jay-Z slinging rhymes over top of the song “It’s A Hard Knock Life” from the musical Annie. It goes without saying that Jay-Z’s interest in musicals hasn’t waned in that timespan. Jay-Z, chicken impresario of Brooklyn and musical genius, is heading back to Broadway for inspiration. Jay-Z and Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment are producing a remake of the musical Annie starring Will’s daughter, Willow Smith. Annie the musical is based off the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, which recently ended an 86-year run in newspapers.
“A decade ago, Jay-Z proved that the power of the underlying Broadway property remains, by showing how these songs could be reinterpreted for a new generation,” said Columbia Pictures president Doug Belgrad. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with our friends at Overbrook as they launch this new venture.”
Tags: Jay-Z, Will Smith, Overbrook Entertainment, Annie, Little Orphan Annie, Columbia Pictures, Shawn Carter, Doug Belgrad, Willow Smith, producer, Jay-Z to produce Annie remake, remake of Annie starring Willow Smith