The Step Up franchise will continue as a scripted YouTube series
YouTube and Lionsgate today announced plans to continue the Step Up franchise as the first original scripted series on YouTube Red. YouTube has ordered a full season of the dance drama, based on the film franchise that has grossed more than $650 million at the global box office.
Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot and Meredith Milton, all producers of the original Step Up franchise films, will executive produce the series, along with Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum, who both co-starred in the original Step Up film.
As has been the case with all five films in the Step Up franchise, the new series aims to offer “a heart-pounding, sexy, music-filled drama about dancers in a contemporary performing arts school.” The show will begin production later this year and will debut exclusively on YouTube Red next year.
The Step Up franchise launched in 2006 with the original movie followed by Step Up 2 The Streets in 2008, Step Up 3D in 2010, Step Up Revolution in 2012 and Step Up All In in 2014. The last two films in the Step Up franchise were released by Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label.
“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.”
How do you feel about the Step Up franchise continuing as a series? Are there any characters you’d like to see return or should the series go for a fresh start? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
