If warbling, ginger orphan Annie is to be believed, it’s a hard knock life. That could very well describe the experience of movies trying to make their way through development, hoping that the studios’ various Daddy Warbucks replace a genial rich guy with cold corporations) will make their screen dreams a reality. The Annie remake has found it slow going, but now Will Gluck will direct the film.

Originally developed by Will Smith and Jay-Z as a potential starring vehicle for Smith’s pop poppet daughter Willow, it has been through the scripting keyboards of Emma Thompson and Aline Brosh McKenna, with the writers updating Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin’s musical.

Though Smith Jr had been the focus for the lead – she was nine when the idea was first hatched – the long delays mean she’s now too old to take it on.

Eat Pray Love’s Ryan Murphy had been considering the director’s chair, but now Gluck, who has had success with movies such as Easy A and Friends With Benefits for Annie studio Sony, will give the screenplay another tweak and start looking for the right youngster to belt out the songs (countdown till someone calls Quvenzhane Wallis?). All being well, he’ll kick off shooting this autumn for a release in 2014. All together now, “Tomorrow, tomorrow…”