Ubisoft has been committed to bringing its video game franchises to the big screen over the last few years, with Assassin’s Creed released in 2016 and films based on the Splinter Cell, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, and Ghost Recon series also in the works, but its latest reported film adaptation is a little bit stranger. It appears Just Dance will be getting the movie treatment, as well, with Sony’s Screen Gems taking charge.
According to Deadline, Screen Gems took part in a “competitive bidding” war for the rights to Just Dance and Ubisoft’s Film and Television division will produce the film alongside Olive Bridge Entertainment. A director for the project has not been selected yet, but Easy A and Peter Rabbit director Will Gluck will serve as a producer.
Just Dance remains a popular video game series for Ubisoft and first became huge on the Nintendo Wii as its simple motion controls let nearly anyone bust a move from the judgment-free area of their living room. On Xbox One, the game also makes use of the Kinect sensor, though you can play the game using motion control on only your smartphone if you don’t have the discontinued peripheral.
Thus far, Ubisoft hasn’t exactly experienced the greatest success with its movie adaptations. Though far from the worst video game movie, Assassin’s Creed received fairly scathing reviews from critics, despite serious acting talent from Michael Fassbender, Jeremy Irons, and Marion Cotillard. Its upcoming The Division movie will star Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain, while the long-in-development Splinter Cell movie will star Tom Hardy.
All of those films, however, are based on franchises that already have characters and story. Without any canon or established universe to speak of, the possibilities for a Just Dance movie are essentially endless, and it’s likely that the rights were acquired to attract players’ attention rather than so that the film could incorporate particular elements.
We’re hoping that the film could perhaps take place in the game itself, rather than be a simple dancing film along the lines of Step Up. The colors might get on your nerves, but that’s what you get for seeing a Just Dance movie.
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