Feel free to question the need to pile on yet another adaptation of the Little Orphan Annie comic strip, but before wondering if Overbrook can do it right, consider that they're the outfit behind 2010's Karate Kid remake which hauled in more than $175 million at the box office last year as well as other films like Ali, Hitch, Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Hancock, and The Secret Life of Bees. The entertainment conglomerate also received eleven Tony Award nominations last year for the stage play, Felal, which it co-produced. And Jay-Z's Roc Nation produced Willow Smith's Whip My Hair single which has been certified Platinum. That's a pretty heady pedigree.

Stated Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter about the partnership, "The Overbrook Entertainment family and I have a unified vision. We've already produced a Tony Award winning play and we're developing a true superstar in WIllow. This venture into film development and production is a perfect next step with teams that are accomplished, creative, and innovative.”

The Broadway musical “Annie” is based upon the popular comic strip and features songs with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin and a book by Thomas Meehan. The show originally opened on April 21, 1977, and immediately became a hit, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In 1982, Columbia Pictures released a film adaptation directed by John Huston and starring Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, Tim Curry, and Aileen Quinn as Annie.