You’ve got to give credit to Paramount for not giving up on their remake of Footloose, as most other movies that have had this many problems would have long disappeared into development hell, never to return. The original plan was that the movie should have arrived in cinemas last year with Zac Efron re-teaming with High School Musical director Kenny Ortega.
Then Zac dropped out because he didn’t want to be typecast and Chace Crawford came in. Then Ortega departed over creative differences and Craig Brewer was drafted in. By this point the movie had already been delayed to 2010, but it soon became clear it wasn’t going to be in cinemas until 2011 at the earliest. A couple of months ago, due to the delays and his TV commitments, Crawford left, once more leaving the movie without a lead.
Now Paramount has announced a replacement (via Deadline), and having already gone through a couple of well known young hunks, this time they’ve plumped for an little know talent called Kenny Wormald. Although not a familiar name, Wormald certainly has the dancing bona fides, having toured with the Pussycat Dolls and Justin Timberlake, as well as appearing on MTV’s Dancelife, and taking a major role in the little seen film, Center Stage: Turn It Up.
He’ll join the previously announced Julianne Hough, as well as Miles Teller in the Chris Penn role, and Dennis Quaid, who’ll take the part of the purtianical preacher father, made famous by John Lithgow in the original. Footloose, which will once more see kids trying to express themselves in a town where dancing is banned, should be in cinemas next year.