Ortega quits footloose

The upcoming remake of classic 1984 dance movie Footloose has been thrown into jeopardy after director Kenny Ortega quit the project, according to reports.

The High School Musical filmmaker was said to have been unhappy with the tone and budget of the update and decided he no longer wanted to be involved in its production, reports trade paper Daily Variety.

A spokesperson for Paramount Pictures has refused to confirm speculation about Ortega's reasons for leaving, but hinted his recent work on the Michael Jackson movie This Is It has taken its toll on the director.

He says, "Coming off of 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."

Filming is scheduled to begin in March (10), with Chace Crawford and Julianne Hough set to play the lead roles.