Fans of Jay-Z will probably already know that the rapper has a bit of a thing for the musical Annie. Afterall he sampled one of the leading tracks on his tune Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem). And now the rapper is set to remake the film alongside Will Smith.

The new take on the classic story of a ginger orphan called Annie will begin production in spring 2013 it has been revealed today. Naturally Smith has cast his own daughter Willow in the leading role for the film which is being written by Love Actually actress Emma Thompson.

While Smith will be taking on a behind the scenes role Jay-Z himself will be penning the songs for the film a job which will see him reworking some of the tracks from the original film as well as throwing in a few new ones too.

Obviously with a rosta like this on board this remake probably isn’t going to stick too closely to the original tale and by the sounds of it will take on a much more urban feel bringing the story right up to date for today’s audiences. It also means that the film is likely to be a huge success considering that most things these guys touch turns to gold. It’ll be a while until we hear much more about the film but we’ll keep you updated on bits as and when we hear them.