Variety reports that Kenny Ortega will not be directing Footloose for Paramount Pictures.

Ortega has the concert film Michael Jackson's This Is It coming to theaters on Wednesday.

Paramount is currently looking for a new director and hopes to still start production in March. Starring in the film are Chace Crawford and Julianne Hough.

Footloose is a remake of the movie from 1984. That film followed a city kid (Kevin Bacon) "who moves to a conservative town and rebels against its no-dance law."

It seems that in Ortega's vision of the film he wanted to make the picture with big musical numbers for a budget of $30 million. Paramount's production head Adam Goodman apparently wanted to go in an edgier direction. They wanted less dancing and a price-tag of $25 million or less.

Eventually Ortega decided to part company with the studio. Both parties had this to say in a statement: "Coming off the extraordinary project, Michael Jackson's 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."

Footloose was released October 14th, 2011 and stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Miles Teller, Ray McKinnon, Patrick Flueger, Kim Dickens. The film is directed by Craig Brewer.