Let’s Hear It for the Boy

Chace Crawford, a.k.a. Gossip Girl’s brooding Nate Archibald, is going to put on his dancing shoes for an upcoming remake of Footloose.

Crawford will take over the role Zac Efron (the High School Musical franchise) decided he didn’t want anymore, after all, lest he should get pigeonholed in the musical genre.

A few actresses, including Hayden Panettiere (TV’s Heroes) and Julianne Hough (TV’s Dancing with the Stars), are said to be interested in the female lead.

Photo: TheInsider.com.

Update: Chace Crawford is speaking up.

The actor says his landing the lead in the Footloose remake was kismet.

“I know Zac and we’re actually friends,” he told EW.com. “He’s gotta make the best choice for his career at this point and I have to make the best for mine and luckily it worked out for both of us.”

Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Hairspray) also spoke up about the remake, saying that the classic hit songs from the movie will be sung, and that there will be new songs that will be written by new artists, and those will be soundtrack songs.