There are times when we wonder if, in the year, 2026, every film will be populated with progenies of the Smith family, more talented than the rest of us, just poppin' and havin' a good time. Jaden Smith, in his third film (and his first as star), was fun, likable and suprisingly adept at kicking in "The Karate Kid," which just so happened to be the
11th top-grossing movie of last year with $176 million in domestic ticket sales. He did this at the age of 11. Willow Smith became a viral sensation -- so strange, to think of a member of that family as a viral sensation -- with
her "Whip My Hair" song, which was goofy and silly and found itself winding through your cerebral cortex on repeat whether you liked it or not. She did that at the age of nine. These two are just getting started. Prepare thyself. The next step in their impending world domination: Willow's ascension to the family film throne. Sony Pictures confirmed today that it's developing
a remake of "Annie" with Willow Smith as the star, to be produced by her parents' company Overbrook Entertainment and another rapper of some renown named Jay-Z, who once sampled the musical's "It's The Hard Knock Life." (“The time is right to bring back "Annie" to the big screen. Of course, we’re true believers in Willow's talent and believe she will be perfect in this role,” said the studio's president in a statement, sounding almost giddy to continue to be in the Smith family business.) It is not known yet if daddy Will Smith will play Daddy Warbucks, but such a pairing seems inevitable. Smith starred with Jaden in "The Pursuit Of Happyness," in what might have been the best performance for both members of the family. It seems a natural fit. Willow's version of "Tomorrow" seems genetically engineered to top the pop charts.
The project appears to have been selected with the care that "The Karate Kid" was. Like "Kid," "Annie" is a globally recognized brand name, in a role that doesn't demand deep emoting from its lead character but allows her to let her true star qualities and charisma shine. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are raising their children to be box office stars before they're old enough to notice the opposite sex, and they're doing it in a smart, box-office friendly way. By the age of 20, we're pretty sure Congress will pass a law allowing Willow and Jaden to be President and Vice President, respectively, while they simultaneously star as ninjas who fight aliens. We can't wait to watch all of it.
