Zadan and Meron Will Co-Produce "Footloose" Remake for "High School Musical" Star Efron

By Andrew Gans
28 Oct 2008

Zac Efron in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year."
Zac Efron in "High School Musical 3: Senior Year."

After the stellar box-office premiere of "High School School Musical 3: Senior Year" — the latest installment in the hit Disney film franchise brought in $42 million in the U.S. during the Oct. 24-26 weekend — Paramount Pictures has decided to fast-track the remount of the 1984 film "Footloose," according to Variety.

As previously reported, Paramount plans to reunite the star and director of "High School Musical 3," Zac Efron and Kenny Ortega, respectively, for the remake, which will begin production in the spring.

Peter Sollett will rewrite Jon Hartmere's original "Footloose" script, and Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have been brought on to co-produce the film with Dylan Sellers. Zadan and Meron's numerous producing credits include the movie musicals "Chicago" and "Hairspray"; the latter marked the feature-film debut of fast-rising star Efron, who is reportedly about to sign a seven-figure deal for "Footloose."

Some of the film's original tunes, which include "Let's Hear It for the Boy," "Almost Paradise," "Holding Out for a Hero" and, of course, "Footloose," are expected to be part of the new version, although new songs are also being penned for the remake.

The original Herb Ross-directed "Footloose" starred a young Kevin Bacon and spawned a number-one selling soundtrack.

Footloose was also seen on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it opened in October 1998, playing 18 previews and 709 regular performances before closing July 2, 2000. Directed by Walter Bobbie, the cast featured Jeremy Kushnier as Ren, the rebellious teenager who moves to a small town where dance is forbidden.