"Annie" is scheduled to hit theaters on Christmas Day, 2014.
AB Media Publishing, LLC
Sony Pictures Entertainment in association with Overbrook Entertainment and Olive Bridge Entertainment are in pre-production on the new modern version of the classic Broadway musical "Annie", set in contemporary New York City. The award winning casting director is conducting a talent search for 4 lead roles, girls 8-12 years of age who are located on the east coast. This is an open casting call that allows talent to upload an audition video directly to the official casting website. Shooting on "Annie" will take place in New York City beginning August, 2013.
Playing the title role of Annie is Academy Award nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, who was the youngest actress ever to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. That nomination came for her role as Hushpuppy in the 2012 Fox Searchlight Pictures feature film "Beasts of the Southern Wild". Wallis recently completed filming "12 Years a Slave" starring alongside Brad Pitt and Benedict Cumberbatch. She is currently voicing the role of Almitra in the animated feature film "The Prophet" with Salma Hayek and Liam Neeson. Also starring in "Annie" is four-time Golden Globe Awards nominee Cameron Diaz playing the role of Miss Hannigan.
Filmmaker Will Gluck is directing "Annie" from an adapted screenplay written by Aline Brosh McKenna based on Thomas Meehan's book for the musical. Gluck is known for directing such hit comedy feature films as "Easy A" starring Emma Stone and Penn Badgley, and "Friends with Benefits" starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. Gluck will also produce with his production company Olive Bridge Entertainment. Two-time Academy Award nominee Will Smith and his wife Jada are producing "Annie" under the banner of their production company Overbrook Entertainment. Five-time Black Reel Awards nominee James Lassiter will also produce for Overbrook. Eight-time Grammy Awards winner Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter will also produce.
Open Casting Call Details
Two-time Primetime Emmy Award winning casting director Kathleen Chopin is currently conducting an open talent search seeking 4 girls who can play roles between 8-12 years of age. Any ethnicity is welcome to submit via an official online website that allows talent to upload a homemade audition video. There are NO FEES whatsoever to submit for this project.
Important Note - This casting call is for talent located in the state of New York and surrounding states (NY, NJ, CT, PA, etc.) ONLY.
The following roles are currently being cast:
[ISABELLA] 11 years old, female. All ethnicities welcome. A cute, girly foster kid. Her dreams of a better life involve a no-limit credit card and shopping sprees galore.
[PEPPER] 12 years old, female. All ethnicities welcome. Tough. Years in the foster system have made her angry and resentful. She has built up a defensive front and is quick to criticize the other girls' dreams of a better life. When Annie invites the girls to share in her new life, even Pepper begins to soften and experience the possibility that things can get better…
[TESSIE] 10 years old, female. All ethnicities welcome. Cute, sweet, the worrier of the bunch. Always concerned for her foster siblings and afraid of Miss Hannigan's wrath.
[MIA] 8 years old, female. All ethnicities welcome. Still has a little bit of a lisp or speech impediment. She is the baby of the group. Prone to crying, she seeks comfort from her older foster sisters.
An audition video is required for consideration. The official Sony Pictures "Annie" casting website provides the audition script and instructions on how to record your audition, as well as how to upload it to the site.
This talent search is being hosted by Cast It Talent, which is a subsidiary of Cast It Systems. You can read about Cast It in the following New York Times Article:
Digital Casting, Poised for a Role Beyond Hollywood
To Submit for "Annie", CAREFULLY follow the instruction on the following casting website:
AnnieMovieCasting.com
Minors and foreign talent must be legally eligible to work in the state of New York and in the United States.
The 2013 New York Actors Resource Guide eBook comes with free quarterly updates and includes the following information and documents for adults, minors, and foreign talent who would like to work as an actor or extra on film and television productions in New York and the United States:
• New York Child Performer Information Sheet
• New York Child Performer Permit Combined Application
• New York Child Performer Trust Accounts Information
• New York Verification of Satisfactory Academic Performance
• New York Child Performer Employer Certificate Combined Application
• USA Child Actor Work Permit Requirements - State Statues
• USA Immigration Work Permits and Visas
• USA Non-Immigrant Visa Application
In addition to the following New York Actors Resources:
• Audition Tips
• How To Make an Audition Video
• New York Casting Directors List
• New York Extras Casting Directors List
• New York Talent Agents List
• General Talent Agent Information
• New York Acting Classes List
• New York Headshot Photographers List
• Actors Unions
• Sample Actors Resume
• Sample Beginning Actors Resume
• Sample Cover Letters
• Entertainment Industry Terminology
• Miscellaneous New York Resources
• PDF Users Guides
The 2013 Actors Resource Guide eBooks are available here.
Principal Actor Casting
See the post titled Headshot and Resume Information regarding how to submit for acting roles.
Submit photos and resumes by mail only.
No phone calls or personal drop-offs.
Kathleen Chopin
12 W. 32nd Street
Suite 12
New York, NY 10001
Extras Casting
New York:
TBA
The extras will be cast closer to the start of filming. Casting calls will be posted here as available.
Production Companies:
Do NOT send photos and resumes to the production companies, as they will most likely end up being thrown away. They do not cast the films, rather they hire casting directors who sort through the thousands of submissions.
"Annie" Production Office
355 Lexington Avenue
16th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Overbrook Entertainment
450 N. Roxbury Drive
4th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Olive Bridge Entertainment
10202 West Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Sony Pictures Entertainment
10202 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Producers: James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Shawn Jay-Z Carter, Will Gluck
Writers: Will Gluck, Aline Brosh McKenna
Director: Will Gluck
Starring:
Quvenzhané Wallis - Annie
Cameron Diaz - Miss Hannigan
Story:
In the depths of the 1930's, Annie is a fiery young orphan girl who must live in a miserable orphanage run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan. Her seemingly hopeless situation changes dramatically when she is selected to spend a short time at the residence of the wealthy munitions industrialist, Benjamin Stacks. Quickly, she charms the hearts of the household staff and even the seemingly cold-hearted Stacks cannot help but learn to love this wonderful girl. He decides to help Annie find her long lost parents by offering a reward if they would come to him and prove their identity. However, Miss Hannigan, her evil brother, Rooster, and a female accomplice, plan to impersonate those people to get the reward for themselves which put Annie in great danger.
