It was such a bummer when Zac Efron dropped out of Footloose, the big screen remake of the 1984 iconic dance drama. Zac was supposed to play Ren, the Kevin Bacon main character. I was a big fan of the Disney High School Musical movies (yes, I realize I’m WAY out of that demographic but, hey, they were fun!) and I thought Zac would be PERFECT in the role. The entertainment news outlets reported that he didn’t want to do another musical. He had just completed Hairspray and he was looking for something new. What? I don’t know why actors constantly fight to do something “out of their comfort zone” when the opportunities IN their comfort zone would make them very popular and rich. I personally think that Zac Efron would have been catapulted into super-stardom by playing this role, just like John Travolta was in Grease. Oh, well. (And I saw Charlie St. Cloud and I just didn’t like it. Sorry, Zac.)
Next, Gossip Girl‘s super cute leading man Chase Crawford came on board. Okay, I could see that. He has the looks and, apparently, he can sing and dance too. But, NO. He was out as well. I didn’t hear much about the film for awhile, but now it’s getting ready for a theatrical release on October 14th. They cast newbie Kenny Wormald as Ren and Dancing with the Stars hottie (and Ryan Seacrest’s girlfriend) Julianne Hough as Ariel. Kenny was last seen on the MTV series Dancelife and in the feature films You Got Served and Center Stage: Turn It Up. The kid can definitely dance.
I saw the Footloose movie trailer in the theatre last week and I was surprised how spot on it is to the original. This is a complete remake, not a redo. It takes place in modern day, but all the rest is the same. It has the same “no dancing in our small town” plot. The same cast of characters. The same teenage angst. The same dance numbers.
You can watch the just released SECOND Footloose movie trailer below. Then, watch it again while you picture Zac Efron in the lead role. See what I mean?
