Ahhh, Zac Efron.  Admittedly the first thing that comes to mind when I hear his name is High School Musical—besides, that's where he really became famous, singing and dancing (and maybe playing some basketball) his way to tween audiences' hearts, and perhaps their moms too.  Two television movies later, he was part of Hairspray, yet another musical film where he basically did the same thing, only with more, err, hairspray.   You can just imagine my surprise when I saw him on a rerun of CSI: Miami, as a murder suspect.   While I thought it was natural for an actor to seek out different roles, it was something I had to get used to.

Looking back at it, has Efron had enough?  Now there are reports that he has pulled out of Footloose, the remake of the 1984 film.  When I first heard his name attached to the film, I thought it was a good fit—he's pretty good at this stuff, not to mention it brings a youthful appeal to a remake of something that's more than two decades old.  Heck, even I can't imagine the film's original star, Kevin Bacon, being youthful.  And then, he is suddenly out.

The word is, he quit by pointing out a rewrite on the screenplay, and used a loophole in his contract to get out.  A senior member of the production team told entertainment website TheWrap that Efron told the studio he doesn't want to make another musical at this point in his career.  “People had been working on this project since last July—we were all shocked,” he said.

Some sources have also told Entertainment Weekly that the actor was advised to hold off other musical roles until he establishes versatility in other roles.  True enough, he has done just that: there's the comedy 17 Again, and then there's Me and Orson Welles, a drama with Claire Danes where he stars as a Broadway actor having a chance encounter with the legendary film director and actor.  That film hit the festival circuit, but has yet to get a wide release.  Obviously that's totally different from High School Musical, or Hairspray (which has a sequel in the works, too—what happens to Link and his supposed tryst with drugs?), or his recent musical performance at this year's Oscars.

So, has Zac Efron had enough?  I can't blame him for wanting to take different roles, and ultimately resist being stereotyped into a singing-and-dancing actor.  Besides, who wants to be stuck doing the same role for a good number of years?  But there's the way he left Footloose: the film, which is being fast tracked by Paramount Pictures, is still in the works, but they now have to scramble for a new star that should approximate what Efron could bring before it begins shooting later this spring.

He's yet to make an official statement, but for now, it's all up to you. The comments area's right below.




-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TheWrap, Entertainment Weekly
(Image courtesy of WENN)