Kenny Ortega Talks 'Flashdance' Departure

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The upcoming Footloose remake lost a major part of its draw when famed director Kenny Ortega dropped out of the project over the weekend

Ortega reportedly ditched his duties after disputes over the tone and budget of the dance flick, but in a statement issued Monday he insisted that he was taking a much-needed break after working on the Michael Jackson film This Is It.

In a new interview with EW.com, Ortega says he pulled out of the remake, which stars Chace Crawford and Julianne Hough because he's “exhausted” from directing This Is It and “wanted to take a few deep breaths and relax before I resurface."

He went on, saying

"It was not planned. None of this was happening when I started working on Footloose with Paramount. I honestly love the team I was working with on it — Craig Zadan, Brad Weston, Neil Meron and Dylan Sellers, the actors. It had been a wonderful couple of years developing the idea but I really need to take a break. I wish them all the luck in the world.”

Hough still has high hopes for the remake, although she's sad to see Ortega go.

“I think it will still be a good film. They have some good ideas and Chace is a cutie that all the girls love and the original is one of my favorite movies. The rumor is that it is going to be edgier than the original but to be honest we don’t start shooting until March of next year so I haven’t seen many specifics.”

Will you still be checking out the movie when it hits theatres next year?