Will Smith’s planned “Annie” reboot might be facing a hard knock life now that director Ryan Murphy has left the flick.
The “Glee” creator had been attached to “Annie” since it was announced in early February, with Willow Smith set to star as the title character and her parents and Jay-Z on as producers. But now Deadline is reporting that Murphy has dropped out of the movie after “talks broke off.”
Deadline did not say how the Smiths and their producing partner Sony Pictures will continue, but it can be assumed that they will pursue their current course and try to find a new director to develop the film. Both Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are locked in as producers, and Jay-Z is planning to handle the musical side of the project, so the movie still has strong legs to stand on.
Beyond his commitment to “Glee,” Murphy has several other major musical reboots on the horizon. After the successful “Rocky Horror Picture Show”-themed episode of “Glee,” reports started flooding in that Murphy had met with Fox 2000 about remaking the 1975 cult hit. He was also one of the directors mentioned when Universal started developing a “Wicked” big-screen adaptation last July.
Murphy’s decision to pass on “Annie” might have something to do with a more pressing film commitment he’s dealing with. In August he confirmed to MTV that he would be directing “The Normal Heart” in June starring Mark Ruffalo. He also has a $5 million open offer from Sony to reteam with Julia Roberts after the success of “Eat Pray Love.”
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