On the same day that Paramount finally confirmed that Chace Crawford would headline the remake of ‘Footloose’ —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).

source: [e online]