Skip to main content

Break out the Wii: ‘Just Dance’ movie reportedly in the works

Just Dance 2019: New Features | Ubisoft [US]

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.

Just Dance 2019: Official Song List – Part 1 [US]

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Is the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie really that bad?
Two men and a woman celebrate in Super Mario Bros.

In the long history of adapting video games to the big screen, there's been plenty of failures. Most video games don't work on the big screen for all the reasons you usually hear about: They're too expansive, too play-driven, or too focused on lore. In that long history, though, there's one movie that stands apart from the rest because of the sheer volume of stink on its reputation.

1993's Super Mario Bros. is perhaps the nadir of bad video game adaptations, and the movie every other adaptation seeks to avoid becoming. Now, as the world prepares for yet another big-screen Mario adaptation with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's worth looking back on this 1993 film and figuring out whether that reputation is actually merited.
Super Mario Bros. is, unfortunately, as bad as you remember
Super Mario Bros. (1993) ORIGINAL TRAILER

Read more
The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s ending, explained
Mario and Peach walk through a mushroom field in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Warning: this article contains major spoilers for The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

At the end of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Mario (Chris Pratt) accidentally brings Bowser (Jack Black) and all of his minions to Earth. Desperate to save Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and the Mushroom Kingdom from one of Bowser’s powerful Bonzai Bill bombs, Mario redirects the missile into one of the magical green pipes that connect all of the film's universes together. Mario doesn’t realize that, in doing so, he momentarily destroys the barriers between worlds.
What happens in the last act of The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
The final act of The Super Mario Bros. Movie takes place in the same Brooklyn neighborhood where Luigi (Charlie Day) and Mario’s family live. Determined to put Bowser’s quest to forcibly marry Peach and conquer the multiverse to an end, Mario faces off against Bowser on the streets of his own home. Unfortunately, even with the help of some of his new friends — namely, Peach, Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) — Mario can’t quite get the edge on Bowser.

Read more
Does The Super Mario Bros. Movie have an end credits scene?
Mario, Peach, and Toad stand above the clouds together in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Once upon a time, it was rare for a movie to have a post-credits scene, but those days are long past. Nowadays, it’s increasingly rare for a major blockbuster or franchise movie to not have a mid or post-credits scene attached to it. With that in mind, audiences will likely head into The Super Mario Bros. Movie this week wondering whether or not they’ll miss anything if they don’t stick around for the film’s admittedly lengthy end credits.

The new film is Hollywood’s latest attempt to capitalize off of the success of one of the most iconic video game properties in history. Coming 30 years after 1993’s famously lackluster Super Mario Bros., the new outing is an animated adventure that offers moviegoers the chance to journey through some of the most iconic fictional video game worlds with an equally recognizable cast of Nintendo characters.

Read more