First Look: New Photos From The 'Footloose' Remake Hit The Internets

In June of last year we learned that dancer Kenny Wormald won the lead role of Ren McCormack in the upcoming remake of Footloose (after Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford decided to pull out of the film) and today we are getting our first look at the movie. In a new promo photo released from the new version of Footloose, we get to see Wormald dancing with Julianne Hough who will star as his female lead Ariel. Whether you like it or not ... a new version of Footloose is headed our way.

She's been a professional ballroom dancer and a country music singer. Now Julianne Hough is making her mark as an actress - in a remake of the Eighties classic Footloose. Newly released stills show the 22-year-old recreating the role of Ariel, made famous by Lori Singer, shaking her blonde hair as she dances across the screen. But whether the remake can match up to the magic of the original - which launched the career of Kevin Bacon - remains to be seen. The update of the iconic 1984 dance flick will open in October with a new cast including professional dancer Kenny Wormald, who takes over Bacon's career-making role of Ren McCormack. While Wormald, 26, is not a household name, he definitely knows a thing or two about dancing. The boston native has toured with Justin Timberlake and starred in Madonna and Mariah Carey's Music videos. Wormald was only a baby when the original came out, but he claims it is one of his favourite films. 'I was about 10 when I saw it for the first time,' he told USA Today. 'I remember thinking, "That is awesome. He's dancing in a factory. I want to do that."' Dennis Quaid will take over John Lithgow's role of the conservative reverend who disdains dance. Andie MacDowell plays his supportive wife, while Hough, of TV's Dancing With The Stars, will play their wild-child daughter, Ariel. Hough, 22, who made her big screen debut in last year's Burlesque, says fans will get to see a new side of her. 'People are going to see my performance rather than the glitz,' she says of the role that requires her to play a 17-year-old. 'This is hometown-girl hot. I'm definitely wearing some tight jeans in this movie.' The remake also has a new director, Craig Brewer, 39, of Hustle & Flow Fame, who admits he was a rabid fan of the original. 'I had the soundtrack in my Walkman all the time,' he says. 'I constantly played it.' Brewer was brought on board after director and choreographer Kenny Ortega of High School Musical Fame backed out shortly after the original lead, Zac Efron, quit. But Brewer has some big shoes to fill since while the original Footloose cost just $8 million dollars to make, and it grossed 10 times that much at the box office. Even more impressive, the film's soundtrack sold more than 9 million copies, and scored two number one hits, singles Footloose and Let's Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams. So far, there's no word on who will be on the soundtrack, but the remake is being shot in several different cities in Georgia and could have a Southern feel. The movie-musical is scheduled to dance into theatres on October 14th.

Blah ... I'm SO on the fence with this film. On the one hand, I am kinda curious to see what a new version of one of my favorite Movies will look like. I have watched and re-watched Footloose a million times and without question, the film's soundtrack is one of my fave albums of the 80s. BUT as curious as I am to see what this remake will look like, I'm afraid it won't hold a candle to the original and will only disappoint. I'm kinda on board with the casting ... I gotta say, I love the idea of Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell as the Christian parents (tho John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest cannot be touched, ever!). To be honest, I don't really think very much about Julianne Hough but I think Kenny Wormald has a chance here to really become a break-out star. I don't know if my curiosity is enough to make me excited for this film ... but it's deffo got me intrigued. What do y'all think of this first look at the new Footloose? Are you impressed? Excited? Bummed out?

HMMM ... now I really want to watch the original film. In fact, I'll prolly watch the original Footloose another million times before this rem...

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