When she came on the scene in the mid-1990s, Cameron Diaz was a sweet-faced ingénue playing the adorable love interests in kooky comedies like The Mask, There's Something About Mary, and My Best Friend's Wedding. But with age, Diaz has been given the chance to work against her looks, whether it be dumbing them down with frizzy hair in Being John Malkovich or becoming a tattooed and terrifying sexual deviant in The Counselor. But apparently, in the upcoming Annie remake, she takes her chameleon craft a step further. Behold: Ms. Hannigan!
Sharing on Twitter, Diaz herself says Hannigan "ain't pretty." This might be true. The dye-job is rough, while her hair is frizzy. The jewelry is remarkably cheap and garish looking. The makeup is severe to say the least. Still, this Ms. is far from the frazzled, drunken mess we remember from the 1982 version. There comedy legend Carol Burnett played the burned out old maid who ruled over the orphanage, where the lovable Annie lived, with a bathtub-gin rattled fist. Lest you forget, let's relive Ms. Hannigan's big moment:
I in no way envy the task before Diaz, as for generations Burnett's take on the boozing broad with a bad attitude has defined the role of Ms. Hannigan. But this is not the Annie we came to know and love. Produced by Will Smith and noted Annie fan Jay-Z, this version will be set in modern-day New York and instead of focusing on a red-headed little moppet will center on a deeply charming African American orphan.
Smith initially began development on the remake as a vehicle for his pop star daughter Willow Smith, similar to how he engineered The Karate Kid to launch son Jaden. But overcome with all the obligations international fame brings, young Willow backed out of the project, famously telling her father/producer, "Daddy, I have a better idea, how about I just be 12.'"
From there, Smith hired Easy A director Will Gluck and signed pint-sized charmer and Academy Award nominee Quvenzhané Wallis to take on the title role. Added to the cast are Rose Byrne, Jamie Foxx, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, David Zayas, and Bobby Cannavale. Annie is now in production and is expected to hit theaters on December 19th, 2014.
