It's not unusual to hear that a film centered around dance is being developed; however, hearing that a movie based on a dance video game is in the works is a bit strange! Apparently we're getting a movie based on Dance Dance Revolution. The game, which first appeared on the scene in 1998, was an international hit. Fun fact - the game actually holds two Guinness World Records! The first is "Longest Dance Dance Revolution Marathon," held by Alex Skudlarek, who played for 16 hours, 18 minutes, and nine seconds. And the second is "Most Widely Used Video Game in Schools."
In case you're not familiar, the game consists of an electronic floorboard with arrows pointing forward, backward, right, left, and to the corners. The player, or players, watch the screen, which tells them where to step in time with the music. Sounds simple - but it can be deceptively difficult! I remember being obsessed with it - I even had a portable home version that I could hook up to my TV and play with my friends.
The most recent version was released in 2016, but apparently, the world needed more. Stampede, an independent movie studio based in the US and founded by Greg Silverman, former Warner Bros. president, has acquired the rights to adapt the game into a feature film. According to Variety, "the project will explore a world on the brink of destruction where the only hope is to unite through the universal language of dance." Umm... okay... wow... Destruction of the world? I mean, I'm all for the power of dance and I guess it's a (big) step away from the sappy romantic stereotype storys. So it will be interesting, to say the least. Stay tuned!