It’s about to become a hard knock life for the youngest nominee in Oscar history. Deadline is reporting that Quvenzhané Wallis is now the star of the Annie remake.

This news caps off a dreamy year and awards season for the 9-year-old actress. The Beasts of the Southern Wild star was the toast of last year’s Sundance film festival and was a fixture on all of this year's A-list award show red carpets.

The re-imagined contemporary take on Annie will shoot later this year and will be released in time for the holiday season in 2014. Wallis, whose powerhouse acting debut was critically lauded, will get the opportunity to showcase her singing and dancing talents in the musical. Wallis replaces Willow Smith, who dropped out of the project earlier this month.

Both Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are producing the film through their Overbrook production company. Jay-Z, in addition to providing music for the film’s score, is also an Annie producer through his Marcy Media banner. 
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(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)