While many movies have been rereleased or remade, the producers of Footloose decided to go in a different direction, by refilming the movie with an entirely new cast, but with the same script.
With a new director and new writers, the movie has been made up to date with clothing and appearances, while the songs and storyline remain unchanged. Ren MacCormack, played by Kenny Wormald, is from the city and moves into a small town where he finds out that rock ‘n’ roll and dancing are banned. With Ariel Moore, played by Julianna Hough, daughter of the town reverend, they try to lift the dance ban.
“I loved [the original Footloose]. I was in sixth grade when it came out,” Tim Dailey, media and film teacher, said. “People my age loved it. It was about rebelling against society.”
Dailey believes the new Footloose will have a similar impact on teens today, but now-adults who were fans of the original Footloose will not feel the same way.
“I think [seeing the new version] would ruin it for me. They used a lot of real, professional dancers with no acting experience [in the new version],” Dailey said. “The original had Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow. The new one looks like a bunch of nobodies.”
Even though Footloose is the first major role for both Wormald and Hough, Dennis Quaid brings some experience as Reverend Shaw Moore. Wormald received the role after Zac Efron, Chase Crawford, and Thomas Dekker all turned down the role for various reasons, according to US Weekly and the Los Angeles Times. Kevin Bacon, the original Footloose star, also turned down a cameo role in the movie because he did not like the part he was offered, according to the Howard Stern Show.
The new version follows the same plot as the original, with only a few minor changes that hardly affect the storyline. Some details are even exactly the same, such as the car Ren drives. The script was also slightly modified as well, but many of the crucial lines are the same.
Footloose was released on October 14 and had an opening weekend of nearly $15.5 million, while the opening weekend of the original was almost half at $8.5 million according to IMDB.
When refilming a classic, there is sure to be criticism and only time will tell if Footloose (2011) will become an instrumental movie to a new generation.