Andy Fickman Tapped to Direct 'Fame' Remake, Source Says

It didn't seem all that long ago when we first had news that MGM was planning to dust off the 1980's musical Fame. Now, FilmJerk claims that sources report that Andy Fickman has been chosen to direct. Originally directed by Alan Parker (Evita, Pink Floyd The Wall), Fame centered on a high school for the performing arts in New York. If MGM has chosen Fickman to helm the remake, it certainly gives us an indication that MGM could be planning a little sanitizing of the original film's more gritty elements (drug abuse, pornography, and abortion). So far, Fickman has directed the Amanda Bynes comedy She's the Man, and the Disney football film The Game Plan with Dwayne Johnson -- with both films definitely falling into the category of family-friendly.

Say what you want about the original film (it's hard to overlook the excessive use of leg-warmers, I know), but at least Parker tried for just a slightly more realistic portrayal of struggling artists and the cost of success -- Well, at least as realistic as people bursting into musical numbers in the middle of a crowded NY intersection can be. Since nothing is definite yet, its way too early for purists to declare any changes to the original film as blasphemy -- although you can't blame them when you look at Fickman's track record so far.