Zac Efron's Footloose "Shocker"
March 23 2009, Published 2:28 p.m. ET
In a move that has reportedly shocked movie execs, Zac Efron, fearful of a typecasting stigma at Henry Winkler or Mark Hamill-esque levels, has pulled out of a Paramount's planned Footloose remake.
The actor, primarily known for his singing and dancing as teen heartthrob Troy Bolton in Disney's wildly successful High School Musical series, is concerned yet another musical project will dash his hopes of transitioning into mainstream movies. He effectively nixed the project when he disapproved of the latest script re-write to Paramount last week, according to The Wrap.
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The updated version of the 1984 hit had a $20 million budget, and was slated to be directed by HSM director Kenny Ortega.
“People had been working on this project since last July," a senior member of the production team told the Web site. "We were all shocked.”
(Image Courtesy of Disney)