It's Official: Chace Crawford's Gettin' Footloose

Gossip Girl hottie Chace Crawford will be kicking off his Sunday shoes in the remake of Footloose, stepping into the void left behind when Zac Efron dropped out.

Crawford, 23, will play Ren McCormack, the rebellious dancing high schooler who launched the career of a then 25-year-old Kevin Bacon, Paramount Pictures has announced.

High School Musical star Efron told EW.com he passed on the role because he didn't want to be type-cast as the musical guy and was searching instead for "the unknown."

Footloose, to be directed by High School Musical's Kenny Ortega, is set to begin shooting in March 2010.