Teen heartthrob and musical sensation Zac Efron has decided he's tired of being so dreamy to the ladies and so musical to the gays and has pulled out of the new Footloose remake, sending production scrambling to keep the movie afloat.

Paramount issued the following statement, giving the impression the project will survive without Efron: "Footloose is a project we've longed to see re-booted for a new generation. While Zac is no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of Kenny Ortega, Neil Meron and Craig Zaden, who will reinvigorate the franchise. Their fresh take on the film will undoubtedly be filled with the same kind of breakout performances that we've come to expect from them."

However, rumors are that unless the filmmakers can come up with a bankable song-and-dance dude equal to Efron's recent fame, the project may be put on hold. Sources say the High School Musical phenom had been advised to hold off on doing another musical until he's shown America his range of acting chops... See his recent foray into dramatic films with Richard Linklater's Me and Orson Welles and the upcoming New Line comedy, Seventeen Again, in which he plays a 38-year-old guy in the body of a teenager.

--Darcie Duttweiler

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