Forget the curly red hair and Depression-era orphans. The hit musical “Annie” moves firmly into the 21st century in a new film version where the star is a street-smart African-American foster kid who rides New York buses, and her savior is a black cell phone billionaire who will stop at nothing to become mayor. “Tomorrow” is still the signature song, but the “Annie,” produced by a team that includes rapper Jay-Z and actor Will Smith, is all about today. Eleven year old Quvenzhane Wallis, who two years ago became the youngest person to win a Best Actress Oscar nomination, plays the foster kid living a hard-knock life in the multiethnic version of the Tony-winning 1977 Broadway musical that opens in U.S. movie theaters on Friday.
