Over the last couple of TV seasons, we've seen a lot of reboots, remakes and revivals coming together on television. Some of these have included popular films being reworked for television, and it looks like another one of those is on the way. This week we learned that the Step Up movies are going to become a TV series, and they are going to do it on a very unlikely platform.
The new Step Up TV series is headed to YouTube. The video service has been working to get into the original programming game in order to compete with other streaming factions like Netflix and Hulu, introducing YouTube Red to do so. An announcement from YouTube notes that Step Up will be part of a slate of originals that the video service has been and will continue to be releasing over the next year or so. Step Up will feature 10 episodes in its first season, and each episode will run for about 45 minutes each. Step Up is expected to premiere in 2017.
YouTube is mostly known for short form programming, including but not limited to makeup tutorials, late night clips, product unboxings and reviews, musical videos and much, much more. But the company has mostly been a place for people across the world to share their creative projects. Now that YouTube Red is becoming a more prominent part of the service, it will be a place for the company to put out its own original content, including the new Step Up.
Channing Tatum is sort-of on board for the new project, as is his wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum, who also starred in the early Step Up films. Both will executive produce the new series, alongside Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot and Meredith Milton. The new series will follow students who are involved with a contemporary performing arts school; specific details about the cast have not been revealed, yet.
Other new originals heading to YouTube Red include Rhett & Link's Buddy System, Dan & Phil Tour Documentary, Vlogumentary, a new animated series and a project form Michael Stevens. While there are a few other scripted shows on the channel, there are none with the scope that Step Up should have. Thus, it seems pretty clear that among the originals YouTube Red already has going and the other originals the company just announced, Step Up is the big fish in the pond. If the series does well, it could prove that YouTube Red can be competitive with some of the bigger services out there in terms of TV content.
We'll let you know as soon as the YouTube Red stuff gets premiere dates. In the meantime, you can see what else the network and subscription streaming services have coming up this summer, here.
