Footloose News

It's been rumored for weeks, and now we can confirm the report: Julianne Hough will star opposite Chace Crawford in the upcoming remake of Footloose.

The role will be the Dancing with the Stars professional's first big screen role; Crawford, meanwhile, signed on a month ago to star in the movie, after Zac Efron opted out.

Production will begin in March. The 1984 original spawned one of the biggest-selling soundtracks of all-time and made a star of Kevin Bacon.

It's officially a proven box office formula for success: Zac Efron + Kenny Ortega = Big Bucks!

After watching Efron and director Ortega pull in a $42 million opening weekend for High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Paramount Pictures is reportedly fast-tracking a remake of Footloose, hoping to get the movie ready for production next spring.

According to Variety, the studio has called on Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist director Peter Sollett to rewrite the Jon Hartmere script and hired Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to join Dylan Sellers as producer.

Efron, who is starring in 17 Again this spring alongside Leslie Mann, will be paid a mid-seven-figure salary and give him script approval. The actor is on the verge of superstardom.