Boogie Town

Last updated
Boogie Town
Directed by Chris Stokes
Written by Chris Stokes
Starring Marques Houston
Brenda Song
Mykal Anthony Bean
Katerina Graham
Vanessa Simmons
Khleo Thomas
Joseph C. Phillips
Cinematography Rodney Taylor
Distributed by Vivendi Entertainment [1]
Running time
 101 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Boogie Town [2] is an unreleased science fiction dance battle romance film directed by Chris Stokes. [3] The film is produced by Vivendi Entertainment. It was originally planned to be released in the summer of 2009, [4] but as of 2015 had not been released. [5] The lead roles are portrayed by Marques Houston and Brenda Song. [6] Mykal Anthony Bean, Katerina Graham, [7] Joseph C. Phillips and Vanessa Simmons also play major roles in the film. [8]

Science fiction genre of fiction

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction, typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, and extraterrestrial life. Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations, and has been called a "literature of ideas".

Marques Houston American actor, singer and dancer

Marques Barrett Houston is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. A member of the R&B group Immature/IMx from 1990 until 2001, and went solo in 2003. As an actor, he is best known for his role as Roger Evans in the television comedy Sister, Sister.

Brenda Song actress

Brenda Song is an American actress. Song started in show business as a child fashion model. Her early television work included roles in the television shows Fudge (1995) and 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd (1999). After many commercials and television roles in the late 1990s, Song won a Young Artist Award for her performance in The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000). In 2002, Song signed a contract with Disney Channel and starred in the 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie Get a Clue and then made significant contributions to the channel, including Stuck in the Suburbs (2004) and many other productions. In 2005, Song began playing the lead female role of London Tipton in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Suite Life on Deck. The character is noted as one of the Disney Channel's longest continuous characters. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009.

Contents

Plot

The film is described as a "West Side Story" for the hip hop generation. It is set in a futuristic New York City, in 2015 where battle dancing is permanently banned because Chief Salisbury's son was murdered during a battle in 2009 when battle dancing was at its height. Ever since then, with help of the secret government agency SG7, Chief Salisbury has made it his own personal mission to permanently put an end to battle dancing. [1] [4]

<i>West Side Story</i> American musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

West Side Story is a musical with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

Hip hop subculture including music, dance and graffiti

Hip hop or hip-hop, is a culture and art movement that began in the Bronx in New York City during the early 1970s. The origin of the word is often disputed. It is also argued as to whether hip hop started in the South or West Bronx. While the term hip hop is often used to refer exclusively to hip hop music, hip hop is characterized by nine elements, of which only four elements are considered essential to understand hip hop musically. The main elements of hip hop consist of four main pillars. Afrika Bambaataa of the hip hop collective Zulu Nation outlined the pillars of hip hop culture, coining the terms: "rapping", a rhythmic vocal rhyming style (orality); DJing, which is making music with record players and DJ mixers ; b-boying/b-girling/breakdancing (movement/dance); and graffiti. Other elements of hip hop subculture and arts movements beyond the main four are: hip hop culture and historical knowledge of the movement (intellectual/philosophical); beatboxing, a percussive vocal style; street entrepreneurship; hip hop language; and hip hop fashion and style, among others. The fifth element, although debated, is commonly considered either street knowledge, hip hop fashion, or beatboxing.

New York City Largest city in the United States

The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States and thus also in the state of New York. With an estimated 2017 population of 8,622,698 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km2), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 20,320,876 people in its 2017 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 23,876,155 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.

The film centers on the dancers, Natalie (Brenda Song) and Micah (Marques Houston). Micah is a very skilled dancer and is the leader of dance crew, "The Trojans" while his former best friend Jay (Mykal Anthony Bean) is the leader of "The Warriors". Micah, Jay and their crews have been rivals for a very long time and because of the ban on battle dancing, the crews have created an underground world named "Boogie Town" in order to continue battle dancing. Micah then meets Jay's beautiful young sister, Natalie at a popular restaurant who has just arrived home from college. Natalie, unaware that this is her brother's rival, invites him to dinner and he accepts. Soon after the dinner, the two become a romantic couple and after Natalie realizes that her boyfriend is her brother's biggest rival, she tries her best to keep their relationship a secret with the help of Micah. Natalie and Micah become a modern-day Romeo and Juliet and are aware of the consequences of being seen having a romantic relationship but are deeply in love with each other. Both Micah and Jay have several mysterious and supernatural powers such as "ENERGY" and "HERCULEAN". Chief Salisbury and the SG7 created a special unit in the police department called the “Boogie Police”, a unit that are specially trained to track down and capture anyone who is caught dance battling in New York. The SG7 is after Micah and Jay because they want to use their blood to create super soldiers for an upcoming war (World War III). Natalie then explains to Micah that she knows he is a Herculean and tells him to go see a man named Genesis, and that he will answer all his questions. Micah takes the number and goes to see him. He gets no answers. Instead Genesis tells him that he is not ready yet and that when he is, he will see him then. The respectful rivalry between the two crews, goes past battle dancing and becomes a dangerous war when Jay finds out that his young sister Natalie is having a romantic relationship with his enemy.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> tragedy by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.

World War III hypothetical global conflict that has yet to occur

World War III and the Third World War are names given to a hypothetical third worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at least as early as 1941. Some have applied it loosely to refer to limited or smaller conflicts such as the Cold War or the War on Terror, while others assumed that such a conflict would surpass prior world wars both in its scope and its destructive impact.

Production

Pre-production

Boogie Town, a modern day West Side Story for the hip hop generation, takes place in a New York City of the near future. In a society where battle dancing has been outlawed, illegal dance contests now take place in the underground world of “Boogie Town.” Micah and Jay, leaders of rival dance crews, possess ‘Herculean’ powers which take the battles to extreme levels. Despite the animosity between the two crews, Micah falls in love with Jay’s beautiful sister, Natalie and the two become a future-day Romeo and Juliet. [9]

Boogie Town is loosely based on Arthur Laurents 1957 stage musical, West Side Story . On December 22, 2008, Variety reported that Vivendi Entertainment acquired worldwide theatrical distribution rights for the film and that Chris Stokes would be directing, writing the screenplay and producing the film. The distribution agreement also covers television, home video, internet/digital and mobile rights. [9] It was also reported that Monique Scott and Cheryl Trimmer will also serve as producers of the film, additionally, Stokes has brought Shane Sparks to choreograph the film. [9] The film has been described as You Got Served meets Twilight . [10]

Arthur Laurents American playwright, theatre director, screenwriter

Arthur Laurents was an American playwright, stage director and screenwriter.

<i>Variety</i> (magazine) American weekly entertainment trade magazine owned by Penske Media Corporation

Variety is a weekly American entertainment trade magazine and website owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added Daily Variety, based in Los Angeles, to cover the motion-picture industry. Variety.com features breaking entertainment news, reviews, box office results, cover stories, videos, photo galleries and more, plus a credits database, production charts and calendar, with archive content dating back to 1905.

<i>You Got Served</i> 2004 film by Chris Stokes

You Got Served is a 2004 American dance comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Stokes, who was also the business manager of the performers who were film's main characters: recording artist Marques Houston and the boy band B2K. The plot follows a group of dancers, who take part in a street dancing competition. You Got Served was produced by Marcus Morton, Cassius Vernon Weathersby, Billy Pollina, and Kris Cruz Toledo, and filming took place Between May 1, 2003, and June 25, 2003. The Columbia Pictures division Screen Gems released the film on January 30, 2004—the weekend of Super Bowl XXXVIII. It opened at #1 at the box office during its opening weekend, and grossed $16 million in its first week. It has recently gained a cult following. Houston and co-star Omari Grandberry later starred in the 2004 film Fat Albert.

The film will also be distributed by Christopher Brian Films, Stokes film company. This will be one of the first projects to be put into development by Vivendi Entertainment next to the Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson-directed film, New York, I Love You . [9]

Natalie Portman Israeli-American actress

Natalie Portman is a film actress, producer, writer, and director with dual Israeli and American citizenship. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.

Scarlett Johansson American actress and singer

Scarlett Ingrid Johansson is an American actress and singer. Johansson is the world's highest-paid actress, has made multiple appearances in the Forbes Celebrity 100, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She aspired to be an actress from a young age, and first appeared on stage in an Off-Broadway play as a child. Johansson made her film debut in the fantasy comedy North (1994), and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Manny & Lo (1996). She gained further recognition for her work in The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Ghost World (2001).

<i>New York, I Love You</i> 2009 anthology film directed by Fatih Akın and 10 others

New York, I Love You is a 2008 American romantic comedy-drama anthology consisting of eleven short films, each by a different director. The short films all relate in some way to the subject of love, and are set among the five boroughs of New York City. The film is a sequel of sorts to the 2006 film Paris, je t'aime, which had the same structure, and is the second film in the Cities of Love franchise, created and produced by Emmanuel Benbihy. Unlike Paris, je t'aime, the short films of New York, I Love You all have a unifying thread, of a videographer who films the other characters.

Tom O’Malley, president and CEO of Vivendi Entertainment said, "Chris' vision for You Got Served inspired a new generation of dance films. We’re thrilled that Chris will now call VE home. Boogie Town is the start of what we expect to be a long and rewarding relationship." [9]

Stokes, who is also the founder and CEO of Christopher Brian Films said: "We are excited to partner with Vivendi Entertainment. Tom O'Malley has created an open and collaborative culture committed to helping independent filmmakers like myself. VE is the perfect creative home for Boogie Town as well as for my future films." [9]

Filming

With more than 300 hired to become extras for the film, production began on December 3, 2008 in Downtown Los Angeles, U.S.A. and was supposed to end in April of the same year. [11] Several days before the announced production date, several members of the cast were photographed while headed to a wardrobe studio for fittings. Work was allegedly stopped on December 12, 2008 after payroll issues developed, because none of the background performers were paid at the time. In April 2009, principal photography was stopped due to Song's Suite Life schedule and the film's release date has been postponed. Song said in a June 2009 interview: "We’re actually not done shooting it yet. We had to put it on hold because of On Deck, so we’ll have to finish shooting it, but hopefully soon." [11]

I don't do a lot of dancing in the movie, but I have to do some, and Five Styles and Shane Sparks choreographed this movie and they are amazing dancers. And Marques Houston has been dancing his whole life... Marques is in it! He plays Micha. He's the lead guy. I'm his love interest. So let me tell you, it is so amazing to go see the rehearsals and they do this whole dance number and Marques already picked it all up. And I'm like, 'Hold on a second! Hold on!' I don't have to do a lot of dancing, thank goodness, but I have a new found respect for dancers. It's so amazing. There's wire works. It's going to be really, really fun.

Brenda Song [11]

Brenda Song's involvement in the project, wherein she will play Natalie, was first announced weeks before Houston was confirmed to work on the film.

Marketing

Vivendi Entertainment announced that Boogie Town would have several consumer product tie-ins, including a soundtrack based on the film to be released by the Universal Music Group, to which Houston is signed [1]

Cast

Release

The film was originally planned for release in the summer of 2009 in the United States and Canada. [9] The original release date was June 16, 2009. The film's first version of the official trailer was released in March 2009. The film did not finish filming in June due to Song's Suite Life schedule and the film's shooting was postponed in the late summer of 2009 because of Houston's worldwide tour and Song's schedule. [11] According to Vivendi and the film's official website (now offline), the film was planned to be released in theatres in July 2011. [4] As of 2015, the film had not been released. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Vivendi Entertainment to distribute Boogie Town". Universal Music Group. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  2. ↑ Njai Joszor. "Marques Houston 'Boogies' With Vanessa Simmons". Singersroom.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  3. ↑ Jonas, Michael (December 4, 2008). "Vivendi set to 'Boogie' with Stokes". Variety . Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 [ dead link ]Vivendi Entertainment. "Boogie Town Movie" . Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  5. 1 2 Lee, Benjamin (June 2, 2015). "Not coming soon: the films still stuck in purgatory". the Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Brenda Song Boogie Town". Just Jared Jr. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Katherina Graham". Anthinghollywood.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Vaness Simmons in Boogie Town Movie". Pastryshoecollection.com. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Vivendi Entertainment to distribute Boogie Town
  10. ↑ Boogie Town Trailer
  11. 1 2 3 4 Brenda Song: Life Sure Is Sweet!
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