Trey Songz almost lost out on his first major movie role because studio bosses thought he was an unknown musician.

Director John Luessenhop was determined to cast the star in Texas Chainsaw 3D, the latest remake of classic 1974 horror The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but he has revealed executives at movie company Lionsgate were against the idea because they had never heard of the chart star.

He tells the Los Angeles Times, "People at Lionsgate were uncertain, saying, 'We've never heard of him. We don't know who he is'... (Then a studio executive Googled him and) goes 'Oh my God, cast him right now.'"

The choice has proved popular among movie fans as the film shot straight to the top of the box office on its release last week (ends06Jan13).