'Annie' to start shooting in the spring

LONDON, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- "Annie" screenwriter Emma Thompson says the movie musical, starring 11-year-old Willow Smith as the titular orphan, is to start filming this spring.

Rapper Jay-Z is writing some music to be featured in the contemporary big-screen remake, while Smith's father, Will, is producing the picture.

"I have been writing the script for nearly three years; it's exciting," Thompson told the BBC.

"In the autumn, we get to go to Los Angeles to work with Willow and work on more of the script," said Thompson. "Jay-Z has already started working on the music. We will start shooting in the spring in New York."