"Footloose" Loses Director

Paramount's planned remake of Footloose, starring Chace Crawford, may be in a little bit of jeopardy, but you can blame it on Michael Jackson.

The remake, slated to start production in March, was to be directed by Kenny Ortega (who recently finished Michael Jackson's "This Is It"), but he's backing out.

Creative differences are said to be the cause, as Ortega a larger budget to cover the more glitzy musical numbers he had envisioned.

Paramount wanted wanted the opposite: a lower budget, with a drama-driven plot -- something that didn't sit well with Ortega, who issued this statement.

"Coming off the extraordinary project, Michael Jackson's 'This is It,' director Kenny Ortega has decided it is premature for him to commit to his next film and will not be moving forward with 'Footloose' as previously reported."

As long as the script is good, it shouldn't matter. Plus, Chace in tight jeans will bring lots of fans, right?