Blair on Broadway!? Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester to Join James Franco & Chris O’Dowd in Of Mice and Men

Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester is swapping her Manhattan digs for a California ranch! The small screen favorite will make her Broadway debut in Of Mice and Men as Curley’s Wife. She will take the stage alongside previously announced stars James Franco and Chris O’Dowd, who are both also making their Broadway debuts. The new mounting of Steinbeck’s masterpiece begins performances March 19, 2014 at the Longacre Theatre, with an official opening night set for April 16. Of Mice and Men will play a limited engagement through July 27.

Meester played Blair Waldorf on the hit TV series Gossip Girl for six seasons. Her additional film and TV credits include Country Strong, 24, Entourage and House.

Adapted from Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men tells the story of two migrant workers: George (Franco), a sharp but uneducated, short-tempered man, and Lennie (O’Dowd), a large but simple-minded man. Together they hope to one day acquire their own piece of land. But when Lennie stirs up trouble on the job, George must choose between protecting his friend or continuing to strive for the American dream.

Of Mice and Men premiered at Broadway's Music Box Theatre in 1937, starring Wallace Ford and Broderick Crawford. The show was revived in 1974 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, starring James Earl Jones and Kevin Conway.

Does Meester have what it takes to play Curley's Wife? You be the judge! Click below to relive some of her best performances on TV's Gossip Girl.