Taraji P. Henson Will Play Miss Hannigan In NBC’s “Annie Live!”

In network television’s grand tradition of taking a beloved Broadway musical and asking, “But what if this was also a drinking game?“, NBC’s latest musical-turned-television event will be Annie Live!. It will air in December, and while NBC is still trying to figure out which precocious child actor will be belting out “Tomorrow,” they’ve cast Taraji P. Henson as their Miss Hannigan.

NBC was planning to do a Bye Bye Birdie live musical, starring Jennifer Lopez, but that didn’t end up happening. Then they started planning for Hair Live!, which also got canceled. Instead, they’re going with a family-friendly musical about a lovable, hyper-optimistic orphan who gets adopted by a retired military general and American capitalist. But it won’t be all tepid popcorn kisses and scrappy mutt hugs, because Taraji P. Henson is here to give it a major boost of primetime TV razzle-dazzle. Deadline reports that Taraji’s casting is the very first role they’ve cast, and she’s very excited to be stepping into the role made famous on-screen by Carol Burnett.

“Carol Burnett, who brought Miss Hannigan to life in the classic 1982 movie, is someone I have studied and idolized as far back as I can remember,” Henson said. “So when the opportunity came to me to join NBC and this incredible group of producers, I jumped. Carol, I hope to do you proud.”

This won’t be the first TV adaptation of Annie (that would be Disney’s made-for-TV movie Annie from 1999). Annie Live! comes seven years after the last Annie remake, aka the one with Quvenzhané Wallis, Jamie Foxx, and Cameron Diaz in one of her last roles before she retired from Hollywood. This will be the first musical Taraji has been in, if you don’t count the two times she was on Lip Sync Battle.

Annie Live! will air on December 2nd, a date that was picked by NBC because they really want to make holiday TV musicals a thing. And by the sounds of this press release, NBC is more excited about Taraji’s Miss Hannigan than they are the little singing orphans!

“When we decided to bring back NBC’s holiday musical tradition, we were looking for something that was critically acclaimed and universally beloved – and while that’s definitely the case with Annie, it absolutely applies to Taraji as well,” said Susan Rovner, Chairman of Entertainment Content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “Watching her take on this iconic role will be a thrill that has all the makings of must-watch television.”

I agree, it will very much be a thrill to see Taraji attempt this role. Because Miss Hannigan is supposed to be an unlikeable, bitter, mean alcoholic who runs an orphanage like a sweatshop and hates children. And usually the only acting method one needs to employ is a scowl and the ability to put out a strong vibe that you’re very over it at all times. But it’ll be a challenge to make Taraji seem rotten and unlikable. Taraji’s Miss Hannigan will show up onscreen and everyone at home will think “I like her, she seems like a very fun time. Are we sure she’s the villain?”

Pic: Wenn.com