Footloose: Audiences, be prepared to cut loose once again

Ashley Smith

The Signal

Hit by the tragic loss of five teenagers, a small Southern town fights to prevent future deaths by outlawing dancing and loud music. Relocating from Boston, high school protagonist Ren MacCormack experiences culture shock and decides to take on the town leaders to end the Puritanical law.

“Black Snake Moan” and “Hustle and Flow” director Craig Brewer updates the 1984 classic story of “Footloose.”

When Brewer took on the remake of “Footloose,” in theaters Oct. 14, he didn’t want to make just a dance movie, but pay true homage to the Kevin Bacon film he fell in love with in the 80s.

“I wanted it to be respectful to the original,” Brewer said. “I wanted people who love the original to have a great experience listening to it, but I also wanted it to be slightly different, slightly more contemporary and, hopefully, more relevant.”

The idea for a remake of the film has been floating around for years, with “High School Musical” alumnus Zac Efron and director Kenny Ortega set to take the helm. When Efron dropped out, Chace Crawford of “Gossip Girl” took on the role of MacCormack. Ortega, also of “High School Musical” fame, ended up backing out of the film, as did Crawford. The studio still wanted to remake the film and went to Brewer, who turned it down twice.

After several director, writer and actor changes, Brewer finally decided to take on the project, but on the condition that he would make the movie on his terms.

“The head of studio called me and he said, ‘you really need to consider doing this your way,’” Brewer said. “And I was like, ‘well, my way would be ‘Footloose.’  You know, my way would be what Dean Pitchford did with the original movie.’”

Brewer’s way included focusing more on the story and the issues the fictional teens go through rather than focusing just on dancing, as was the original intent for the remake. When Ortega was attached to the film, the concept closely resembled “High School Musical,” and Brewer worried “Footloose” would become a spoof of itself.

With Brewer on board and the script re-worked, the time had come to choose a cast, especially the two central characters, MacCormack and his love interest Ariel Moore. “Dancing with the Stars” regular Julianne Hough had auditioned for and won the role of Ariel back when Ortega was still directing, but once the film changed hands, she had to decide whether the role was still right for her.

“So, once Craig joined on and I read that script, I was like, ‘whoa, this is – this is way different,’” Hough said. “This is actually going to be a movie that will show the acting side of me, rather than just the dancing and the singing.”

Because Brewer had the choice to find his own cast, Hough decided to fight for her role and again auditioned for Ariel.

“I auditioned twice for this movie, and I’m so glad I did,” Hough said. “I’m so proud of this movie.”

Brewer then cast newcomer Kenny Wormald as MacCormack in the role made famous by Kevin Bacon and rounded out the main cast with Hollywood veteran Dennis Quaid as Ariel’s father, Reverend Moore, originally played by John Lithgow.

With the recent popularity of remakes and the fatigue and animosity audiences have felt toward them, Brewer knows the tough road his movie has ahead, but he feels, if given the chance, lovers of the original “Footloose” will be pleasantly surprised.

“I had to make peace with the fact that there was going to be a wall of hate coming my way,” Brewer said. “I’ve been reading the reports of it playing around the world.  And people love it.  People feel like they got to celebrate the original again.”

Even though recent remakes have done poorly in the box office, Brewer points out that remakes are not a new phenomenon and even beloved classics themselves are remakes.

“I know that there’s a backlash at remakes, but everybody needs to take a breath,” Brewer said. “Hollywood has a history of this.  You know, ‘The Wizard of Oz’  is a pretty good remake.”

Whether “Footloose” hits No. 1 in the box office during its opening weekend or becomes another “Fright Night,” another remake of a cult classic with a poor reception at the box office, Brewer feels like he did the job he set out to accomplish.

“I have never been more confident in my life as a director that I nailed a movie,” Brewer said. “I mean, I’m telling you, in all honesty, I nailed the ‘Footloose’ remake.  I think that no one would’ve made it better than the team that we put together.”

FOOTLOOSE PODCASTS:
Craig Brewer
Director of re-make “Footloose” discusses why he took on the project and what he hopes audiences will get out of the experience.

Julianne Hough
One of the stars of “Footloose” explains what she had to do to get this part and how it has become a once in a lifetime opportunity.