For some reason, some studio that has run out of original ideas has decided to remake the 1984 classic movie Footloose.  At first they had sought out Zac Efron for the role of Ren MacCormack, originally and iconically played by Kevin Bacon. 

That might have been okay.  Zac Efron is not just a bubblegum Disney musical star; he’s a truly talented young actor.  But Zac decided that a remake of Footloose was just a little bit too much like High School Musical (not a stretch considering it’s being choreographed and directed by Kenny Ortega, who did all 3 HSM  movies).

So, now Zac’s out and it looks like Chace Crawford is in.  Chace plays Nate Archibald in the TV show Gossip Girl.

Now, he’s a cutie, I don’t deny it.  But so what?  Kevin Bacon owns this role.  He owns it like Yul Brynner owns the King of Siam, or James Cagney owns George M. Cohan, or Rex Harrison owns Henry Higgins or William Daniels owns John Adams.  Another actor could play those roles on film, but they shouldn’t.  It cannot possibly measure up.  These actors have defined their roles for all time.

It’s more than just a question of talent.  Maybe Chace Crawford is more than just a pretty face–I don’t know.  I don’t watch Gossip Girl.  Maybe he’s a good TV actor who needs a break to prove he can hack it in film.  But each of these actors, Kevin Bacon included, defined these roles for their generation, in their place and time and cultural context.  And the role can’t be redefined, or it would be a different role.  Ren MacCormack has to be an early 80′s bad-boy in order to be Ren MacCormack.  And he has to be Kevin Bacon.  Or he’s some other character.

And if he’s going to be some other character, why not just make a different, original movie, and have Crawford star in that?  You can’t just steal a generation’s icons and milk them for another time and place.  It’s lazy, offensive, and it won’t work. 

Do the job we pay you for, Paramount execs.  Think of something new for once.

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