Zac Efron No Longer Cutting Footloose

Footloose is now Zac Efron-free.
The teen dream has shimmied out of his Kevin Bacon-channeling role in the long-gestating remake of the classic '80s musical.
Efron was attached to star in the film but supposedly pulled out of the project to avoid what was fast becoming a typecasting issue-to date, the Disney grad has sung and danced his way through three High School Musicals, Hairspray and even the Oscars.
"Footloose is a project we've longed to see rebooted for a new generation," Paramount Pictures said in a statement. "While Zac in no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of [HSM turned Footloose director] Kenny Ortega, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, who will reinvigorate the franchise.
"Their fresh take on the film will undoubtedly be filled with the same kind of breakout performances that we've come to expect from them."
While Efron has yet to publicly address his reasons for dropping out of the project he has been attached to since July 2007, his move came after the most recent rewrite of the remake's script. Per TheWrap.com, which first broke the news, Efron told Paramount he didn't want to do another musical at this point in his musical-heavy career.
There's no word yet on a possible replacement for Efron, and it's unclear if the film, fast-tracked by the studio last fall, is still on schedule for its planned 2010 release.

0 Comments