It was rumored a while back that Willow Smith may play the lead in the new Annie. Now that has changed. Nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis was officially casted this past Sunday as Annie in the Will Smith adaptation of Annie.  She is the youngest Academy Awards Best Actress nominee ever for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

This adaptation of Annie is to be directed by Will Gluck (Easy A, Friends with Benefits) with the screenplay written by Emma Thompson and being rewritten by Aline Brosh McKenna. The number of producers is fairly crazy. There’s James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith from Overbrook Entertainment, and Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Jay Brown, and Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith of Marcy Media.

According to Hannah Minghella, President of Production for Columbia/Sony Pictures, she says that Wallis is “an extraordinary young talent with an amazing range, not only has an actress but as a singer and dancer.” Currently, Annie is set to release during the winter holiday season of 2014.

[via First Showing]