Tuesday
28Oct2008
Let's Hear it for the Boy: Zac Efron Remaking 'Footloose'
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 12:31AM 
Zac Efron's gotta cut loose.The High School Musical star has been tapped to fill Kevin Bacon's Sunday shoes in a remake of the mid-80s hit, Footloose, which will be directed by Musical's Kenny Ortega. Variety reports that Paramount want to get the remake started next spring, and has hired Peter Sollett, who directed Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, to adapt the script.
In our review of High School Musical, we said that Efron deserves to be a pretty big deal at the moment, and to that end, he is reportedly on the verge of signing a mid-seven-figure salary for Footloose that will include script approval. He is the brand, after all.
Paramount is not just letting the young star have all the stroke, though; they've hired producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Chicago, Hairspray) to help steer the project. It's worth pointing out that Zadan was a producer on the original film, as well. For his part, Kevin Bacon has already given his blessing to Efron to take over the role, and adds that whenever Zac wants to remake Hollow Man, he'd be glad to get that monkey off his back, too.
He didn't actually say that. But he doesn't have to.
One more note on this: Variety also says that several of the signature songs from the film, including "Footloose," "Let's Hear It for the Boy," "Almost Paradise," and "Holding Out for a Hero," may be covered by contemporary artists on the soundtrack for the remake, as well.
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in Footloose, Remakes, Zac Efron | Print Article | Email Article | Post a Comment | Share Article
Reader Comments