Andrea McArdle Joins Annie Live Cast

Original star Annie McArdle will rejoin the Annie family to take on the role of Eleanor Roosevelt in NBC's upcoming live broadcast of the musical on December 2. McArdle's casting was first announced this morning on the Today Show.

McArdle was Broadway's original Annie, earning a Tony nomination for her performance. She took on the role of the "Star To Be" in the ABC 1999 film version of the show, and has subsequently gone on to play Miss Hannigan in stage productions.

Twelve-year-old Celina Smith will take on the title role in the show, alongside Harry Connick Jr. as Oliver Warbucks, Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan, Nicole Scherzinger as Grace, Tituss Burgess as Rooster, and Jane Krakowski as Lily.

Alex Rudzinski will serve as the live TV director and executive producer, with Lear deBessonet, the artistic director of New York City Center Encores! and creator of the Public Works program at the Public Theater, serving as stage director. The production will have choreography by Tony winner Sergio Trujillo, costumes by Paul Tazewell, sets by Jason Sherwood, and orchestrations by Stephen Oremus. Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron are producing alongside Chloe Productions.

The Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of Harold Gray's comic strip features music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan. This will be the fourth filmed iteration of the show, following the original 1982 movie starring Carol Burnett and Albert Finney, the 1999 TV film led by Kathy Bates and Victor Garber, and the 2014 movie remake, with Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz.