Jamie Foxx has certainly been full of surprises lately, whether it’s nerding out for “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” or deciding to produce, write and direct a horror series for SyFy. Once again, we’d never have predicted this next move, which will see Foxx putting his musical skills (he’s a platinum selling R&B artist, in case you forgot) to good use.
The actor is in talks to join “Beasts Of The Southern Wild” star Quvenzhané Wallis in the big screen remake of “Annie.” As you probably already have guessed, he’ll be playing Daddy Warbucks, only now the character has been renamed to Benjamin Stacks….GET IT? Benjamin Stacks because he’s stackin’ the Benjamins, if you didn’t get that. As far as casting goes, hard to argue with the choice: dude has got the charisma and chops to make it work.
Going for a Great Depression era setting, the new movie will get into production this fall with “Easy A” helmer Will Gluck at the helm, with the powerhouse duo of Will Smith and Jay-Z producing. The next “The Wiz” or a worthy and distinct tale all its own? We’ll find out on Christmas Day 2014. [THR]
