Thomas Dekker Going FOOTLOOSE?

Paramount Studio’s remake of the 1984 monster dance flick Footloose is back on track again after Chace Crawford’s defection, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

The leading candidate to fill Kevin Baker’s shoes? Heroes star Thomas Dekker, 22, who recently enhanced his remake cred with a recycled version of A Nightmare on Elm Street that scored well at the box office. Dekker also played John Connor in Fox Television’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and received good notices for his role in the well-received Cannes indie Kaboom.

Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack who moves from the big city to a small town where rock ‘n’ roll is banned. Ren proceeds to set the town moving and shaking when he takes over planning for the senior prom.

High School Musical star Zac Efron was originally set to reprise the Bacon role, but dropped out of the project after deciding to move his career in less musical, more dramatic directions. The other big change is occurring behind the camera with Craig Brewer replacing Kenny Ortega as director.