Audiences May Be Cutting Footloose Sooner Than Expected
Zac Efron
Now that Zac Efron's latest High School Musical song-and-dance opened with a $42 million weekend, Paramount Pictures is hoping to "kick off its Sunday shoes" a little faster than expected.
According to Variety, Paramount would like to get its remake of Footloose, which reteams Efron with HSM director Kenny Ortega, into production by spring 2009. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist director Peter Sollett has been brought on to rewrite the script, and Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have been added as producers.
Efron is reportedly close to locking in his deal, which features a mid-seven-figure paycheck and script approval. Unlike most of Efron's other work, Footloose will be aiming for the older teen and adult demo.
Zadan and Meron have produced movie musicals Chicago and Hairspray, on which they worked with Efron, as well as the original Footloose. The studio is working on several new songs to complement the original soundtrack, which featured "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and the title track from Kenny Loggins and remains one of the best-selling in its era.
While the original Footlose launched Kevin Bacon to star status, Efron comes in with several hits under his belt. Do you think he will be able to top Bacon's performance?
