Chace Crawford has officially signed on for the remake of Footloose, Paramount Pictures has confirmed.

Rumors of the actor playing the lead role of Ren McCormack had been swirling, but nothing had been confirmed until now.

Zac Efron had previously considered for the role but he decided it was too much like what he had already been doing with High School Musical. “I want to grow a bit with the types of movies I want to make,” he said. “It was more along the lines that I was looking for a new challenge, and this was another musical.”

Filming begins March 2010.

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Chace Crawford filming “Twelve” in Central Park.

[Photo: ©BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM]

“I’m not gonna lie. Sarah Palin is quite attractive..”

- Chace Crawford, rumored to be an Obama supporter, acknowledges Rep. Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s beauty.

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