Dancing With the Stars' Julianne Hough Set For FOOTLOOSE Remake

Variety is reporting that "Dancing With the Stars" pro dancer and country singer Julianne Hough will star opposite Chace Crawford on Paramount's upcoming remake of "Footloose," contingent on working out scheduling. 

It's Hough's first major film role. Crawford signed on a month ago to star after Zac Efron decided in March against toplining another tuner after "High School Musical 3" and "Hairspray."

Paramount Pictures announced earlier this month 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.

Over the course of his 30-year career, Emmy Award-winning director and choreographer Ortega has worked with superstars Madonna, Michael Jackson, Kiss, Cher, and Diana Ross. He choreographed the classic "Dirty Dancing" and, most recently, directed all three "High School Musical" films. The hugely successful trilogy has broken numerous records including "High School Musical 3: Senior Year's" record opening for a song-and-dance film grossing $42 million in its first weekend.

Together, Zadan and Meron produced the blockbuster "Hairspray" and the critically acclaimed "Chicago," which was the first musical in 34 years to win the top honor of Best Picture Oscar at the 2002 Academy Awards. They also produced the made for television "A Raisin in the Sun", and had a recent collaboration with Lifetime on the film "Living Proof" featuring Rene Zellweger, Harry Connick, Jr. and Bernadette Peters. Last winter they released "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. In 2007 they were honored with the Hollywood Film Festival's producers of the year award. Last year the talented producing duo were honored by the The Casting Society of America with career achievement awards at the 24th Annual Artios Awards. 

The film will also be produced by Dylan Sellers ("Agent Cody Banks"). Academy Award-nominated Susannah Grant ("Erin Brockovich") wrote the recently green-lit 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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