I must be getting old. It used to be movies were remade after one or two generations had passed, but now they are remaking films left and right. The latest one coming is Footloose.
Kenny Wormald to play Kevin Bacon role in 'Footloose' remakeKenny Wormald has been cast in the lead role of Ren in the upcoming 2011 remake of the musical film Footloose, which also features Dancing With the Stars' Julianne Hough as his love interest Ariel, Paramount Pictures said in a statement on Tuesday.
Kevin Bacon played Ren in the 1984 original movie, which saw the high school newcomer lead a group of teenagers in a small town to rebel against their elders' ultra-Conservative rules against dancing and other so-called provocative activities.
Wormald, a 24-year-old Boston native, starred as Tommy in the 2008 dance film Center Stage: Turn It Up, the sequel to the 2000 film that starred Avatar's Zoe Saldana. He has toured with Justin Timberlake and danced in music videos by Madonna and Prince.
"When we discovered Kevin Bacon in 1984, we were both excited and gratified - and also knew the chances of ever duplicating that effort was a million to one shot. Decades later Kenny Wormald proved history could repeat itself," said Craig Zadan, a producer of both Footloose films.
Jamal Sims, who recently worked with Madonna on her "Sticky & Sweet" Tour, will choreograph the dance sequences in the remake, Paramount said. Dennis Quaid will play Ariel's father, Reverend Moore, who was portrayed by John Lithgow in the original film.
Hough, 21, is a professional dancer and won ABC's Dancing With the Stars twice, although she did not appear on the previous tenth season.
She is set to make her big-screen debut in the film Burlesque, which is set to be released on November 24 and also stars Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Alan Cumming, Eric Dane, Christina Aguilera and Peter Gallagher, who was also featured in both Center Stage films.
Many outlets had reported that High School Musical star Zac Efron and Gossip Girl's Chase Crawford, who recently got into a bit of trouble with the law in Texas when police charged him with marijuana possession, had in the past been tapped to play Ren but there has been no confirmation from their spokespeople.
