Justin Timberlake As Daddy Warbucks In ‘Annie’ Remake [Rumor]
Justin Timberlake as Daddy Warbucks? That’s the latest rumor The New York Post was peddling about the upcoming Annie remake on Wednesday, citing “Hollywood sources.”
Of course, a Sony representative weighed in with a simple “Not true,” when the newspaper followed up, so don’t get your hopes up just yet.
But as Michael Bay has taught us, a rumor denial doesn’t necessarily mean the powers that be are telling the truth. ComicBook.com reported on the director’s insistence that Mark Wahlberg would not be in Transformers 4.
(Guess who the star is.)
Truth or no, the guys at ScreenRant have made a pretty good case this Timberlake-as-Warbucks rumor at least somewhat makes sense.
For starters, JT has recently collaborated with Annie remake producer Jay-Z on “Suit and Tie.” He starred in Friends with Benefits, which was directed by William Gluck (the guy helming this project).
He has even earned some acclaim from film critics for his performances in Trouble with the Curve and The Social Network, same as Albert Finney, who by the time he’d taken the Warbucks role in the 1982 classic, had picked up an Academy Award nomination for his early work in Tom Jones.
Timberlake’s acting career hasn’t hit that high of a mark, but he did earn a Screen Actors Guild nomination for The Social Network, and considering his boy band roots, he has been surprisingly effective with both male and female audiences on screen.
Timberlake also has the comedic chops, the acting skill, and the likability needed for the role, though he may have to work on the gruff exterior and the aging bald guy thing.
Specifically, his barber shop rendition of “Bringing Sexy Back” on Saturday Night Live found that light-hearted throwback appeal an Annie remake would need to work.
Also, given JT’s popularity with the SNL crowd — earlier this month he delivered the show’s highest ratings in more than a year — he would certainly bring in the demographic at which this film will be aimed.
Whoever does land the part will play opposite the only confirmed cast member, Quvenzhane Wallis of Beasts of the Southern Wild, in the title role.
Do you think Justin Timberlake as Daddy Warbucks in an Annie remake is a crazy idea, or just what the project needs?
[Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]
