Nine-year-old Oscar Nominee Quvenzhané Wallis to play Annie in upcoming film

If you haven’t seen Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild, you’ve missed something truly extraordinary. At nine years old she’s the youngest actress to ever be nominated for an Academy Award (the youngest actor, Jackie Cooper, was 9 years old when he was nominated in 1931) and she completely deserves it.

Her performance has also landed her role most little girls would kill for: Annie. Columbia Pictures is planning an Annie reboot for a release in 2014, and they want Quvenzhané for the lead role.

Colubmia preside of production Hannah Minghella released this statement:

“With the recent Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim, Quvenzhané Wallis is a true star and we believe her portrayal as Annie will make her a true worldwide star. She is an extraordinary young talent with an amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can’t wait for audiences to further discover her.”

Friends With Benefits director Will Gluck is also on board to direct.

Quvenzhané’s unique first name has a special meaning. The first part, “Quven” is a combination of both of her parents’ names dad Qulyndreia, and mom Venjie Wallis; and the last part, zhané, means “fairy” in Swahili.