Craig Brewer: The Perfect Director for the Footloose Remake

By  · Published on April 14th, 2010

According to Variety, Craig Brewer (of Hustle and Flow and Black Snake Moan acclaim) will be jumping on to direct and rewrite Paramount’s Footloose remake. Brewer will start casting immediately for a summer shooting start.

You may recall that at one time Kenny Ortega (of High School Musical 1, 2 and 3 infamy) was originally set to direct the remake with Zac Efron starring. However the project stalled when Ortega and Paramount clashed over creative differences and money. With Ortega out, Efron quickly jumped ship. Then came word that Chance Crawford (Gossip Girl) was set to replace Efron as the star for a director to be decided. But he eventually also dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

In my humble opinion, Craig Brewer taking over this property is the best possible outcome for a worthwhile Footloose remake. Not only will Brewer bring the darker tone necessary to do the original Footloose justice, he also brings to the table a masterful ability to incorporate music into the heart of his films. It will be interesting to see what Brewer can do with an adaptation since he usually works based on his own original ideas.

In case you’ve never kicked off your Sunday shoes and watched Footloose, it’s about a city boy (Kevin Bacon) who moves to a small town where dancing is literally illegal thanks to a strict pastor (John Lithgow). Being the super cool rebel that he is, Bacon and some new found friends plan to break the rules and live life on their own terms!

Now, before you write off Footloose as a chick flick because of my terrible summary of the film, do yourself a favor and check it out (or re-watch). You will find Kevin Bacon smoking pot while drinking and driving, a loose yet likable female lead, and an enjoyable girl slapping John Lithgow performance. All in all, the film strikes a perfect balance of edgy 80s social commentary and entertainment (like Robocop but with more dancing and no robots). Plus it has a great 80s soundtrack.

The only question that remains: will the epic tractor face off make the remake cut?

What do you think about Craig Brewer directing Footloose?