Chace Crawford gets back to work on the set of ‘Gossip Girl’ with a new shorter haircut.

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Crawford is ready to follow the fancy footwork of Kevin Bacon when he begins shooting Paramount’s reboot of the 1984 dance classic Footloose next March. The 23-year-old Gossip Girl star landed the lead after Zac Efron dropped out. “I know Zac and we’re actually friends,” Crawford tells Entertainment Weekly. “He’s gotta make the best choice for his career at this point and I have to make the best for mine and luckily it worked out for both of us.” Still, Crawford wasn’t even born when the original premiered in theaters. So is this just an elaborate ruse to win at Six Degrees? Jokes Crawford, “I want my number to be up — my Bacon number.” Crawford won the part after a brutal audition, including dancing and singing, for producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Hairspray) 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.”

A Paramount spokesperson confirmed to EW that Dancing With the Stars’ Julianne Hough will screen-test this week. Hough’s recent success as a country music star could give her an advantage. Says Meron, “It’s a much more singing-intensive movie for the female lead.”

The new Footloose, which recently got a rewrite from Erin Brockovich’s Susannah Grant, will pay homage to the first film — the setting will still be a dance-free town, and the original cast could pop up in cameos. Also expect to hear familiar tunes like the title track. “The classic hit songs from the movie will be sung,” says Zadan. “There will be new songs that will be written by new artists, and those will be soundtrack songs.” Explains Meron, “It’s not really a burst-into-song musical. Any songs that are sung are coming out of an organic place.”

One thing that may not reappear is some of the more elaborate choreography. “I don’t know if the gymnastics [high bar] scene is going to make it,” says Crawford, who’s about to embark on an Ortega-plotted training regimen. “I’ve got some movement in me, but I’m not a dancer,” he admits. “I need to start stretching now.”

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Chace Crawford, Jessica Szhor and Ed Westwick leave the SoHo House after having lunch together on Thursday.

Photos: Bauer-Griffin 

Not everybody can star in Footloose, but they certainly seem to be trying.

On the same day that Paramount finally confirmed what we’ve been telling you for weeks—that Chace Crawford would headline the remake of the song-and-dance extravaganza—Miley Cyrus has surfaced as the latest hot young thing being considered for the leading-lady role.

“They’ve expressed interest in Miley for the part,” a source close to the tween queen said.

A source close to the production further added that Cyrus “is definitely in the mix.”

As it stands, that mix currently includes Hayden Panettiere, Amanda Bynes and Dancing With the Stars pro Julianne Hough, all of whom have auditioned in recent weeks for the part of Ariel Moore, the independent daughter of a preacher man, originated in the 1984 classic by Lori Singer.

One starlet who hasn’t auditioned for the role: Cyrus. Presumably because her singing, dancing and audience-pulling prowess have already been proven.

While Cyrus’ reps had no comment on the potential casting coup, it may be a bit premature to think she’ll sign on the dotted line. Her schedule is booked solid right now.

The Disney star will soon be heading down to Georgia, with production on the adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ as yet unreleased book The Last Song scheduled to begin June 15. And then she’s back to her day job as Hannah Montana.

Footloose begins shooting in March 2010, Paramount says (making the previously announced release date of June 18, 2010, unlikely).

Meanwhile, after more than a month of courtship, the studio has finally locked up Crawford.

As we first reported, the Gossip Girl guy had been in line for the role of small-town scofflaw Ren McCormack since Zac Efron got cold feet and dropped out.

Crawford and another Dancing With the Stars pro, Julianne’s brother Derek Hough, were among those to audition for the role originated by Kevin Bacon.

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