Chace Crawford Begins Preparing For New 'FOOTLOOSE,' Expected To Train Nine Months Before Shooting

Chace Crawford has already started preparing for his upcoming role in "FOOTLOOSE" to try to succesfully fill original star Kevin Bacon's shoes.

Crawford tells Britain's Glamour magazine, "We don't start shooting until March, but I started getting into some training. I'm going to need the whole nine months to really get to where I need to be."

"I have some movement and I'm really happy to learn a lot of new stuff, but I'm counting on the magical editing to make me look really good! But they put me through a screen test, which was pretty rigorous, so I must have the foundation for it," the Gossip Girl star added.

In late May, Chace Crawford and Hollywood heavyweights, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron spoke to Entertainment Weekly about Crawford's upcoming movie musical debut as the star of "FOOTLOOSE." 

Paramount Pictures announced in May that the "Gossip Girl" star will play the lead role of Ren McCormack in the film "Footloose," which will be directed by Kenny Ortega. The film will be produced by the highly successful team of Craig Zadan (a producer of the original "Footloose" in 1984) and Neil Meron.

EW revealed in early May that "Crawford won the part after a brutal audition, including dancing and singing, for producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and director Kenny Ortega (High School Musical). "It was, like, five hours of the most rigorous tests ever," says Crawford. "I walked out very confident." He had a right to be, according to Zadan: "At the end of it, we all sort of looked at each other and said, ‘He's the guy!'" Variety reported in July that "Dancing With the Stars" pro dancer and country singer Julianne Hough is set to star opposite Chace Crawford on Paramount's upcoming remake of "Footloose," contingent on working out scheduling.

The film will also be produced by Dylan Sellers ("Agent Cody Banks"). Academy Award-nominated Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich") has written the new screenplay.

In The CW's hit drama "Gossip Girl," Chace Crawford plays Nate Archibald, a young man uneasy with all the privileges that have been handed to him by his family. Crawford completed production on the independent movie "She Lived," in which he stars as Joseph Young. Haley Bennett from "Music and Lyrics" co-stars and Mickey Liddell directs.

In 2006, Crawford starred alongside Taylor Kitsch, Sebastian Stan and Toby Hemingway in Screen Gems' "The Covenant." The movie follows four young men who belong to a supernatural legacy and are forced to battle a fifth power long thought to have died. Directed by Renny Harlin, "The Covenant" opened at #1 in the box office. Crawford also appeared in Lifetime's television movie "Long Lost Son" in 2006, in which he portrayed the son of Gabrielle Anwar's character. Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, "Long Lost Son" told the story of a mother who realizes 14 years later that the son and husband she believed to have drowned are still alive.

Crawford grew up in Plano, Texas. He moved to Los Angeles to attend Pepperdine University and while there, he began acting as a hobby. Shortly thereafter, he landed his first break as Tyler Simms in "The Covenant." Currently, Crawford splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City, where "Gossip Girl" is being filmed. He is currently starring in Joel Schumacher's drama "Twelve" along with Emma Roberts and 50 Cent.

Production on the movie is set to begin shooting in March 2010.

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