Craig Brewer to Direct FOOTLOOSE Remake!

That long thought dead Footloose remake has risen from the ashes. After High School Musical director Kenny Ortega dropped out due to creative differences, the remake was shelved indefinitely. Now Paramount has put the project back on the fast track, with a high profile director already in tow.

Variety is reporting that Hustle and Flow director Craig Brewer has signed on to helm the film, a remake of the 1984 original starring Kevin Bacon as a Chicago kid who moves to a town where dancing and rock & roll has been banned, threatening the senior prom for the graduating students. The film was a huge hit, catapulting Kevin Bacon into pop culture fame and grossing approximately $80M worldwide.

Zac Efron was initially attached to star as Ren "Footloose" McCormack, but dropped out. Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford was then brought on for the role, but also dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. So Paramount has announced that a whole new round of casting is set to begin immediately, with hopes of shooting to begin this summer.

Craig Brewer is an inspired choice for a film just like this. Not only did he write the obviously music themed Hustle & Flow, but he one-upped himself later with the blues music influenced Black Snake Moan. I wasn't a big fan of Footloose back in '84(although I was crazy in love with Lori Singer), but consider me very interested in seeing where this one goes.