Chace Crawford has signed on to star in Paramount Pictures’ remake of “Footloose.”
The Kenny Ortega-helmed project had been thrown into doubt when Zac Efron decided against making another tuner so soon after “High School Musical 3” and instead signed on for “The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.”
Although Crawford’s involvement has long been rumored, his reps were only just now able to ink a deal to bring the “Gossip Girl” star aboard the pic. One of the sticking points in the negotiations was reaching a compromise on filming around Crawford’s “Gossip Girl” production schedule.
Lensing is set to begin in March.
With a more mature, edgy version of “Footloose” than the original, Paramount will likely benefit from the fact that Crawford’s “Gossip Girl” following skews a bit older than Efron’s “High School Musical” audience.
Dylan Sellers is producing alongside Ortega, Craig Zadan — a producer of the original “Footloose” — and Neil Meron.
Crawford is currently starring in Joel Schumacher’s drama “Twelve.”
