Thomas Dekker (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Heroes”) is in talks to take a lead role in MGM’s Fame, a remake of the 1980 musical, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Dekker is gunning to 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 (MTV’s “DanceLife”), 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 (Elegy).
MGM already has set a September 25, 2009 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.
