Gidget was a punchline by the time I was old enough to realize that the name had something to do with an old series of movies and television shows. I guess maybe it meant something to the teenagers of my parents’ generation but it’s not like it’s stood the test of time. When was the last time you saw a Gidget movie on TV? Gidget series reruns? The movies and TV show were a part of the long since dead surfer culture craze. MTV may give away surfboards but it's not like the kids are listening to the Beach Boys. Gidget is about as relevant as Frankie Avalon, which of course, won’t stop Hollywood from remaking it.
Miley Cyrus is already riding the Gidget remake wave and now we have two more names to toss into the foam with her. Moviehole says Brittany Snow and modern day Frankie Avalon Zac Efron having been approached to star in them. Efron has hinted that he might be interested in having a career that’s taken seriously. The kid seems to have the talent to pull this off. If that’s really what he has in mind, it would seem unlikely he’d take the gig. On the other hand, if he’s happy being that kid from those pleasant teen movies nobody will remember or care about in ten years, expect a casting announcement.
MH says this new batch if Gidget will be a musical comedy (of course) and Cyrus will be in the titular Gidget role which once belonged to Sally Fields (in the TV version) and Sandra Dee (in the movie version). The TV show was responsible for launching Fields into stardom which is, I suppose, a good thing if you’re a Smokey and the Bandit fan and probably less good if you like coherent awards speeches or if your wife forces you to watch the Lifetime channel. Efron would be her love interest and it looks they’re sticking with the surfing theme even though, really, it's surfing.
