The very successful Step Up franchise is set to be come a new YouTube TV series. The news show has had a full season order from YouTube and Lionsgate and Channing Tatum, who starred in the original movie franchise is on board to produce alongside his wife Jenna Dewan Tatum and Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot and Meredith Milton.
The original series of films have grossed a huge $650 million at the global box office, so its no surprise that the studios want to spin it off into a scripted TV show. Producers promise “a heart-pounding, sexy, music-filled drama about dancers in a contemporary performing arts school.”
“I’ve been a fan of the Step Up movies for years and always believed the films would translate into an awesome original series,” says Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s Global Head of Original Content. “We know that dance is a hugely successful global category on YouTube, so I’m excited to have a series rooted in such an enormously popular genre on our platform.”
“‘Step Up’ is an incredible property with the global appeal to launch both a blockbuster film franchise and an exhilarating, high-energy series,” adds Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs. “After five exciting and successful movies, we’re proud to partner with YouTube Red, a major new force on the programming landscape, to adapt the films into an adrenaline-filled original drama series driven by its non-stop energy, spectacular dancing and A-list creative talent.”
“The Step Up franchise has been a significant and joy-filled part of all of our lives for over a decade, and introduced the world to Channing and Jenna, who we are so excited to be collaborating with on this show,” say executive producers Shankman, Gibgot and Milton. “This original series is a natural extension of our creative passion, and we cannot wait to inspire a whole new audience with our partners at YouTube Red, which has always been an organic online home for many dancers, and a vital part of the dance community.”
Production will begin later this year and will debut exclusively on YouTube Red next year.
