Golden Boy Grows Twinkle Toes

Hollywood Golden Boy Tom Hanks is set to swap army stripes for dancing shoes and sequins as he joins forces with director Jon Turteltaub (Phenomenon) for an English-language remake of the Japanese box office smash, Shall We Dance? A surprise hit of 1997, the original Shall We Dance? took $10 million at the box office, setting a U.S. record for a Japanese film. The corking romantic comedy traces the trials and tribulations of a stick-in-the-mud bloke who takes up ballroom dancing in a bid to impress a gorgeous young dance teacher, with unexpected results. Developers Miramax are hoping to lure Hanks on board for less than his usual $20 million asking price by developing a strong script. Sources say the double Oscar winner has unofficially committed to Dance, but no deal has yet been firmed up. Before hitting the dance floor, Hanks is set to star in Castaway - a tale of one man's struggle for survival on a desert island. Filming on Castaway is set to start early next year, although a break in production will have to be made to allow Hanks to lose a whopping 40 pounds.