Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is in negotiations for the lead role in MGM's remake of the 1980 musical Fame.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dekker will play Marco, a working-class kid with some gnarly acting chops who is competing with thousands of other hopefuls to get into and survive an elite New York public high school for the arts.

Written by Allison Burnett, the revamp will be directed by Kevin Tancharoen, a director and choreographer who has worked in TV, on music videos and on tours for such singers as Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson. Mark Canton (300) is producing the $25 million project along with Gary Lucchesi and Tom Rosenberg of Lakeshore Entertainment.

The original Fame, directed by Alan Parker, followed an ensemble of ambitious young performers and teachers as the kids worked their way through the prestigious New York Academy of Performing Arts. The film was nominated for six Oscars and won for best score and best original song, "Fame," performed by co-star Irene Cara. It was then spun off into a TV series.

MGM has set a Sept. 25 release date, with a potential shoot starting in February. Other characters about to be cast include an aspiring filmmaker, a shapely dancer, a slam poet, a salsa musician and a sheltered pianist.

Fame was released September 25th, 2009 and stars Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Kherington Payne, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth, Debbie Allen, Asher Book, Cody Longo. The film is directed by Kevin Tancharoen.