Ortega and Paramount No Longer Dancing on "Footloose"

Kenny Ortega has ankled as director of "Footloose," over what sources called differences with Paramount Pictures on tone and budget.

The move comes days before the opening of the Ortega-directed Michael Jackson concert film “This is It,” which is expected to be huge.

The studio will begin looking for a director on Monday. Sources said Par's goal is to keep its plan to start production in March, when star Chace Crawford is on hiatus from “Gossip Girl.” Crawford is starring with Julianne Hough, the “Dancing with the Stars” hoofer and country & western singer who became top choice last June, and recently locked the female lead after wowing the studio with her screen test.

Paramount said the change was made strictly over budget, and the studio maintained it wasn't clear when production would start.

"Footloose" is a remake of the 1984 drama about a newcomer (a star-making turn for Kevin Bacon) who moves to a town and rebels against its no-dance law. Sources said that Ortega wanted to make a picture with elaborately-staged musical numbers, at a budget of $30 million or so. Par production chief Adam Goodman wanted an edgier drama with less emphasis on the musical numbers, and a budget around $25 million or less. Paramount has confirmed the budget dispute, but the studio said the budget will be less than $25 million.

The disagreement continued until Ortega decided his dance with the studio had ended. Ortega, who, after choreographing the milestone musical “Dirty Dancing” and directing three “High School Musical” films, is about to have the biggest opener of his career when “This is It” is unveiled on October 28.

Columbia Pictures has declared that the picture will have only a two-week run around the world, but insiders suggest the picture is likely to be expanded “by popular demand” if the picture becomes the expected blockbuster.

Ortega, who shot the rehearsal footage of Jackson’s concert series, was attached as director when AEG shopped the concert footage to studios last July. 

UPDATE: Paramount has confirmed Ortega's exit, and Ortega's team has 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."

BFD stands by its story. Ortega--who has been working on the film since his "High School Musical" star Zac Efron was attached--planned to direct the film until those plans changed over the weekend. 

Ortega and his Paradigm reps will now look for another project as Paramount locks another director.