Lead Has Been Cast for 'Footloose' Remake

TV's Chace Crawford will fill Kevin Bacon's dance shoes!

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

After "pretty boy" Zac Efron (High School Musical trilogy) turned down the lead in director-choreographer Kenny Ortega's remake of Footloose, "pretty boy" Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl) officially signed on to play the role that first made a star out of Kevin Bacon back in 1984.

The much-hyped reboot of the 25-year-old pop culture classic won't even start filming until next March, and is expected to be a darker and more mature take on the story of a young man who moves to a small town that has banned rock music and dancing.

Paramount Pictures has locked in Ortega (High School Musical trilogy) as a producer as well, alongside Hairspray's Neil Meron and his personal & professional partner Craig Zadan (The Bucket List), though no screenwriter has been announced yet.

The '84 original grossed more than $80 million domestically, still a respectable take even today, despite the inflation rate. Footloose's Oscar-nominated soundtrack was also a major success during the era, selling over 10 million copies and spawning three Top 10 hits.

As for the part of Ariel--made famous by Lori Singer in '84--Dancing with the Stars' Julianne Hough has been mentioned, as has Amanda Bynes (Hairspray) and Hayden Panettiere (Heroes).

You Guessed It...Another Remake!

Crank actor Statham will rekindle Bronson role

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

One of the world's biggest action stars, Jason Statham (pictured), will star as Arthur Bishop in director Simon West's remake of Michael Winner's 1972 action thriller The Mechanic, which starred Charles Bronson as a highly-skilled, strongly-detached hitman.

As announced on Thursday (May 7), Oscar winners Irwin Winkler (Rocky) and Robert Chartoff (Raging Bull) will executive produce the film, and Karl Gajdusek (TV's Dead Like Me) has completed a script.

Winkler and Chartoff also produced the original, which was noted for opening without dialogue for its first 16 minutes. The reboot will also be executive produced by Nu Image/ Millennium's Boaz Davidson (Righteous Kill), Danny Dimbort (Mad Money), Avi Lerner (2008's Rambo), and Trevor Short (The Wicker Man).

West, who also directed a remake of When a Stranger Calls (2006), will begin shooting the movie this summer in Shreveport, Louisiana. Statham's current release, Crank: High Voltage, is a sequel to a hit 2006 action flick, but has bombed at the box office.

Child's Play Remake In the Works?!

Yet another horror franchise redo is in early planning stages

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

According to www.bloody-disgusting.com/ there are confirmations that Child's Play creator-writer Don Mancini is working on bringing the cult classic original back to the big screen, and may take over the director's seat as well.

Brad Dourif, who first voiced the Chucky character in the 1988 original, insured reporters at a recent horror film convention that he will also return to the 20-year-old series, though this reboot will not be a sequel to the last feature in the chain, 2004's Seed of Chucky.

In the first Child's Play movie (MGM) Dourif played the character of Charles Lee Ray, a serial killer who, after he is shot dead by police, comes back to life--via voodoo--in the form of an evil doll named Chucky. The feature was directed by Tom Holland, starred Catherine Hicks, and grossed more than $44 million worldwide.

"Sorry Jack...Chucky's Back!" read the tagline of the 1990 sequel Child's Play 2 (Universal), which cost more, but made less ($35.7 million). Although Dourif returned as the voice of Chucky, the sophomore feature was helmed by John Lafia. The following year Jack Bender directed the third Chucky movie, Child's Play 3: Look Who's Stalking (Universal), which barely made a profit ($20.5 million).

Dourif was present for part three and again for the fourth installment, 1998's Bride of Chucky (Universal), directed by Ronny Yu. Bride introduced a female playmate for Chucky, voiced by Jennifer Tilly, and bolstered some fresh attention inthe franchise, pulling in more that $50 million around the world.

Don Mancini took over as director by 2004's Seed of Chucky (Rogue Pictures), which took a comedic turn, proving a failure amongst critics and moviegoers. Reuniting Dourif and Tilly, Seed bombed at the box office ($24.8 million), and put an arrow in potential follow-ups in the film series, which is why Mancini has decided to just start over again.

Universal will distribute the Child's Play rehatch, which has not yet began production. Below is a link to view the trailer for the '80s original.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_UZcbTdivw

William Hurt Joins Robin Hood Cast

Another big name signs on for remake of an old tale

Academy Award-winning actor William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman) is the latest notable name to sign on for the upcoming--and not yet titled--Robin Hood remake, which has already started production in the UK.

Hurt will play William Marshall, the Earl of Pembroke, an actual historical figure who was a servant of the Plantagenet Kings, and known as the "greatest knight that ever lived."

Fellow Oscar winner Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) will lend his talents as Robin Hood himself, a folklore figure that's been around for some 600 years. Yet another Oscar alumni, Cate Blanchett, is set to portray Maid Marian, while Robin's "Merry Men" will be played by Kevin Durand (Smokin' Aces), Scott Grimes (Critters), and Alan Doyle, the lead singer for Canadian group Great Big Sea.

Emmy-winning feature film director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) will helm the project, which he is producing with Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer, the Oscar-winning super producer behind films like A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Apollo 13 (1995), and TV shows such as Arrested Development (Fox) and 24 (Fox).

Universal Pictures and Imagine are producing the newest Robin Hood feature adaptation, and the first since Kevin Reynolds' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which grossed more than $225 million worldwide in 1991.