Chace Crawford Set to Star in Film Remake of Footloose

It’s official: Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford has signed on to headline a feature film remake of the 1984 hit Footloose. Variety reports that filming will begin in March 2010 to accommodate Crawford’s shooting schedule on the TV series. Crawford will play Ren McCormack, the role created by Kevin Bacon. No other casting has been announced.

The film, to be directed by High School Musical impresario Kenny Ortega, had been set to star Zac Efron, who dropped out because he did not want to star in another movie musical at this time. Variety noted that the fan base of Gossip Girl skews older than Efron’s High School Musical audience.

Crawford is currently filming a starring role in Joel Schumacher’s Twelve, based Nick McDonell's novel about an Upper East Side teen with a sideline as a drug dealer.

Dylan Sellers is producing Footloose alongside Ortega, Craig Zadan a producer of the original movie and Neil Meron.