Now you’re probably thinking that the current trend of adapting television shows into films has gone too far when they decide to try to transition a dance show to the big screen. But according to Variety,the longtime showcase for R&B and soul music, Soul Train, is being readied for feature film treatment.
Warner Brothers has hired Dead Presidents writer Malcolm Spellman to craft a story about the syndicated series that ran for 35 years between 1971 and 2006. Set in the early 1980s, the plot will center on a young breakdancer from L.A., who sees securing a spot on a proposed concert tour sponsored by the show as a way out of the ghetto. Soul Train creator and longtime host Don Cornelius had always wanted to actually mount such a tour, showcasing music and dancers from the show, though it never happened.
I have to admit that this sounds fairly interesting. I’m always up for a good story about a talented, poor kid out to make his fortune in the world and with the emergence of breakdancing in the early 1980s, the movie is set in a visually interesting time for dance. Scoff all you want at movies like Beat Street or Breakin’, the dancing featured in them was fun to watch.
My one concern is how much of a role will Cornelius play as a character in the script. If you’ve seen his acting turns in Roadie (1980) and Tapeheads (1988), then you know that Cornelius is a suave and magnetic presence on screen. It will be interesting to see how much screen time Cornelius-as-character gets and who they cast in the role.
