Six Degrees of Remake Hell

By Sarah Carlson
July 11, 2007

Footloose.jpgIf you hold a special place in your heart for craptastic 80s movies -- especially those that include dance scenes set in abandoned barns -- then I've got some bad news. Variety reported today that Paramount is planning a musical remake to the 1984 classic "Footloose" with "High School Musical's" Zac Efron playing the rebellious Ren McCormack -- a character already immortalized by Kevin Bacon. What's there to remake? Lightning doesn't strike twice, Paramount.

"Footloose" isn't a great film, but that's why we love it. Ren isn't allowed to listen to Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head"; Ariel (Lori Singer) angles to wrap her skinny legs around Ren in between wearing red boots in front of her uptight preacher father (John Lithgow); Sean Penn's less talented brother can't dance; Rusty (Sarah Jessica Parker) is just kinda there; Ariel's mom (Dianne Wiest) is more than a little love-starved. Plus, Ren drives his yellow VW bug out to the barn to just dance, dance, dance.

In negotiations to direct and choreograph the musical remake is Kenny Ortega, the man who brought "High School Musical," various episodes of various TV shows and, one of my favorite guilty pleasures, "Newsies" to the world. "Newsies" is by no means a good movie, really, but the music is catchy. Perhaps Ortega could bring the level of crappiness he brought to "Newsies" to "Footloose" -- matching hokey lyric for hokey lyric. What is Kenny Loggins up to these days?

Better yet, perhaps Ortega should make another "High School Musical" and leave anything Kevin Bacon has ever done alone.

Comments

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Posted by: Erin on July 12, 2007 1:18 PM

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Posted by: Ava on July 27, 2007 4:03 PM

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! So excited for the remake of Footloose! Loved the original and a fresh take on this classic should be fabulous!

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