I am keeping it honest here, so don’t judge me. I liked the first Save the Last Dance. My primary reason: Julia Stiles is an underrated hottie. There I said it, now for the story.
It was announced today by Paramount Home Entertainment’s DVD Premiere group, in association with MTV Studios, that principal photography on Save the Last Dance 2: Stepping Up has wrapped.
Didn’t know they were making this one did yah? Probably didn’t know they were making a Bring It On 3 either.
Either way, STLD2 stars Izabella Miko (The Shore, Bye, Bye Blackbird, Coyote Ugly), Columbus Short (War of the Worlds, You Got Served) and Jacqueline Bisset (Domino, The Physical Education of Girls).
Yup, no Stiles. Don’t you love it when they call a movie a sequel and then cast some no-name in the lead role? Man that is just the best! Didn’t Speed 2 try that?
Save the Last Dance 2: Stepping Up was shot in Toronto and the surrounding area and continues the story of (the new) Sara Johnson (Miko), the girl from a Chicago ghetto, who now attends Julliard to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballerina. At the prestigious arts academy in New York, Sara must prove to herself and others that she is cut out for the competitive world of ballet.
Monique Delacroix (Bisset), Sara’s idol and teacher, pushes her to strive for greatness. She becomes almost a mother to Sara, much to the chagrin of Katrina (Maria Brooks, Swarmed), Monique’s current protege. When Sara meets Miles (Short), a young guest lecturer who has a strong impact on her, she begins to question the path she has chosen.
The pic in the upper left there is a still from the flick, you can click here to check out a larger version.
The movie is going straight to video (big shock there) and is one of the first films to be produced by Paramount Home Entertainment’s newly created DVD Premiere group along with MTV Studios, a new venture that leverages talent already thriving on-camera and behind-the-camera on all of MTV’s networks in music-based, dramatic and comedic films, as well as documentaries. Paramount Pictures and MTV Films’ successful 2001 feature film release, Save the Last Dance, grossed over $91 million at the domestic box office.
“This film has so many of the elements we are looking for with our new DVD Premiere productions,” said Ellen Pittleman, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Acquisitions, who leads the PHE DVD Premiere group. “The sequel embraces the strengths of the original film with a compelling story and strong cast while offering more dance in every form ranging from modern to ballet to hip hop.”
“We already know that our audience responded passionately to Save the Last Dance as a feature film and we’re confident that they are hungry for the opportunity to see where the storyline continues,” said Jeff Yapp, EVP, MTV Networks Music and Logo Enterprise Group. “Through our extensive audience reach via our channels and various platforms we’re looking forward to bringing our audience this project and other exciting new content.”
