Dance films of the early 2000s remain the most iconic and loved of all time – from Julia Stiles in Save the Last Dance to Jessica Alba in Honey – but none remain as iconic as Centre Stage. The film, which followed the lives of the students at the incredibly competitive American Ballet Academy, and their subsequent battle to make it to the end of season showcase, is still praised as one of the all-time movie greats.
The ending dance scene (with honourable mention to Jamiroquai’s ‘Canned Heat’) remains one of the best in cinematic history.
On the 20th anniversary of the film, Deadline confirmed that a TV adaptation of the story is in the works. Here’s what we know so far:
Taking centre stage will still be the students of the American Ballet Academy.
Director and writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson says the series will follow “a new, inclusive class of dancers as they work to stay at the academy and clash against the traditional students and style the ABA is known for,” reads a summary shared on Deadline. “Ballet has always been a conformist world, but with Cooper Nielson now at the helm of the ABA and the ABC, change is on the horizon in more ways than one.”
It will be set in modern times, and will be a “continuation of the original film.”
No word on whether the original cast will return.
While the new show description says Cooper Neilson is the head of the ABA, it’s unclear if Ethan Stiefel will reprise his role. It’s unclear if we’ll see Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull) and Charlie (Sascha Radetsky) again either. Personally, we’d love to see Zoe Saldana, Peter Gallagher and more return to the Academy.
Need some remembering? Watch the film’s ending dance number.
