Is HEROES Star Hayden Panettiere 'Gonna Get FOOTLOOSE'?

Is Hayden Panettiere about to get "Footloose" with Chace Crawford in the big screen remake of the 80's hit?

The Heroes star has auditioned for the role of Ariel Moore - a part for which Dancing with the Stars' Julianne Hough is also reportedly seeking - in the musical remake of Footloose, E! News reports. Lori Singer played the character of Ariel in the original film. To read the E! News report click here.

Panettiere sang for director Kenny Ortega and filmmakers, who were "really impressed," a source revealed. The actress has sung before, recording tracks for various movie soundtracks. Should she land the role, Panettiere would be working her fancy footwork opposite Gossip Girl heartthrob Chace Crawford, who's being heavily rumored to play Ren McCormack after Zac Efron pulled out of the film.

E! Online's Malkin first report that Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford was being considered for the remake of Footloose.

A source told Malkin that Crawford, "did really well". it was reported that teen-heartthrob and star of Disney's first three "High School Musical" films, Zac Efron had dropped out of Paramount's planned remake of "Footloose," in what seemed an apparent effort to push his career beyond fame as just a cute song-and-dance man.

Soon after word got out that Zefron had changed his mind about taking on the role originated by Kevin Bacon explains Malkin, Crawford's name began popping up on entertainment and gossip blogs and websites as the top suggested star to replace him.

Paramount commented, in a statement regarding Efron's exit that, "Footloose is a project we've longed to see re-booted for a new generation. While Zac is no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of Kenny Ortega, Neil Meron and Craig Zaden, who will reinvigorate the franchise. Their fresh take on the film will undoubtedly be filled with the same kind of breakout performances that we've come to expect from them."

Efron was to play Bacon's original role of Ren McCormack, "the rebellious newcomer in a town where dancing has been banned."

The new film Footloose will be expanded into a "full-blown movie musical" from the earlier film with songs. Footloose also starred Lori Singer and John Lithgow. It was originally written by Dean Pitchford and directed by Herbert Ross. A Broadway musical version of Footloose was previously staged in 1998. To read the entire E! article click here.

Hayden Panettiere stars in NBC's Emmy Award-nominated ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Claire Bennet, an indestructible high school cheerleader, who must veil her abilities from her peers as well as keep other secrets from her mysterious father.

Most recently, Panettiere starred in the independent film "The Architect," opposite Anthony LaPaglia and Isabella Rosselini, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and "Mr. Gibb" for Kevin Spacey's company, Triggerstreet. She co-stars in the upcoming romantic dramedy "Shanghai Kiss," and this past Fall, she starred as the lead in "Bring It On: All or Nothing," the sequel to Universal's box-office hit. Training rigorously and executing her own stunts, she dazzled audiences in her role as a competitive ice skater in "Ice Princess" and recorded "I Fly" for the film's soundtrack. Her spitfire characters in both "Joe Somebody" as Tim Allen's daughter and "Remember the Titans" with Denzel Washington helped to establish her talent. Her other film credits include "Raising Helen," directed by Garry Marshall; "Message in a Bottle," with Kevin Costner; "Object of My Affection," with Jennifer Aniston; and "The Affair of the Necklace," with Hilary Swank. Panettiere starred in the television movie "Lies My Mother Told Me," opposite Joely Richardson, and in the acclaimed "Tiger Cruise," based on the true events of September 11. Her HBO film "Normal," opposite Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson and directed by Jane Anderson -- premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.

Panettiere's voice is as recognizable as her face. She embodied the challenging leading role as a jockey in "Racing Stripes," opposite the voices of Dustin Hoffman and Whoopi Goldberg. She also starred in Disney's animated features "A Bug's Life" as Princess Dot and in "Dinosaurs" as Suri. Her work for "A Bug's Life Read-A-Long" garnered her a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album, as well as a nomination for the Hollywood Reporter's Young Star Award for Best Young Voiceover Talent.Adding to her accomplishments, Panettiere has been named the new face of Neutrogena. She recently received Movieline's Hollywood Life Magazine's Young Hollywood Exciting New Face/ Female Award for 2005. She also has been spending time in the recording studio working on her own debut CD through Hollywood Records. Panettiere is an ambassador, along with fellow ambassadors Nelson Mandela and Queen Noor, for the World Conservation Union's (ICUN) Wildlife Foundation, an organization that helps raise funds to support and save endangered species. As of late, she has joined forces with Pierce Brosnan to save the whales through the Whaleman Foundation. 

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.

 

 

 

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