The Most Slammin' Dance Crews on the Planet Blow It Up Onscreen as Principal Photography Begins for HONEY 2 Featuring a Hot Young Cast Led by The Vampire Diaries' Katerina Graham Plus Audacious Choreography and Eye-Popping Stunts in an All-New DVD Original(R) from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

LOS ANGELES, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- America's boldest and most inventive dance crews hit the streets as Honey 2 begins production in Los Angeles.  Energetic choreography, a diverse cast and gravity-defying stunts provide a breathtaking background for the world of competitive dance-offs.  Inspired by Honey, the hip hop movie phenomenon starring Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer, Joy Bryant and Lil' Romeo, Honey 2 takes audiences into the complex world of street crews who express both their individuality and community through an awe-inspiring array of dance styles including b-boy, turfin', hyphy, morphing, gliding, popping, locking, salsa and jazz, among many others.  Honey 2 is slated to premiere exclusively on DVD in the fall of 2011.

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The latest in the hugely successful Universal Studios Home Entertainment DVD Originals™ line, Honey 2 is directed by Bille Woodruff (Beauty Shop), who brought the first Honey to the big screen in 2003 and is renowned throughout the music industry for directing some of the hottest music videos around for top-recording artists including Britney Spears, R. Kelley, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Joe, Celine Dion, Jessica Simpson and Nelly. Honey 2's executive producer Marc Platt has produced some of Hollywood's most memorable movies including the original Honey, Wanted, the Legally Blonde films, Nine and the soon-to-be-released Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and Charlie St. Cloud, among others.  Platt is also the producer of Broadway's blockbuster musical "Wicked."  Paul Hellerman (The Mexican, Jackie Brown) serves as producer. Propelling the story with the hottest dance moves around is choreographer Rosero McCoy, known for his exuberant dance routines in the original Step-up feature film and MTV's "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew."  

In Honey 2, Katerina Graham (CW's "The Vampire Diaries") stars as Maria, a young girl who uses her passion for dance as a means to overcome adversity and life on the streets.  Joining Graham is a diverse cast of incredible actors and dancers, including Randy Wayne (Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning), Seychelle Gabriel (The Last Airbender), Christopher "War" Martinez (Bring It On: Fight to the Finish), Brittany Perry Russell ("CSI: NY"), Tyler Nelson (Stomp The Yard 2), Luke Broadlick (Britney Spears "Circus" tour, Step Up 3-D), and Melissa Smith ("The Pussycat Dolls Present: the Search for the Next Doll"). Also rounding out the cast are dancers Casper Smart and Justin DeAnda, character actor Gerry Bednob (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Lonette McKee (Honey, Sparkle) who reprises her role of Connie Daniels from the original film.

Honey 2 mixes it up with well-known dance crews from all over the country in a nuclear-powered tribute to edgy moves, complex footwork and freestyle.  From California's Quest Crew (winners of MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew, Season 3), Fanny Pak and the Beat Freaks to the Las Vegas-style breaking of Super Cr3w and the Strikers All-Stars of Tallahassee, Florida, the dancers bring on their most outrageous routines in a showdown for bragging rights as the best of the best.

SYNOPSIS

The legacy of legendary dancer and choreographer Honey Daniels lives on in spirited 17-year-old Maria Bennett.  After a brush with the law, Maria has returned to her gritty Bronx roots to rebuild her life with nothing but a talent for street dance and a burning ambition to prove herself.  She finds refuge in the place that made her feel most alive as kid—the rec center where Honey's exuberant classes first ignited her passion for dance.  Keeping on the straight and narrow means living with Honey's mom Connie and holding down a job just to make ends meet.  But a rare night out at a local dance club gives her an opportunity to let loose with a joy and energy she had almost forgotten.  Maria's killer moves catch the eye of Brandon, a rec center volunteer, who invites her to help him transform a group of gifted but undisciplined dancers called the HD's. Maria's skills also attract the attention of her old boyfriend Luis, the charismatic leader of the award-winning 718 dance crew, who hopes to lure her back into the street world she is trying to escape.  Seeing a chance at creating a new and meaningful life, Maria pours her heart and soul into dance and begins training the HD's to compete on the television dance competition "Dance or Die"—which means going up against the 718 and Luis.  Like Honey before her, Maria rediscovers the thrill of dancing as she finds out who she truly is and where she belongs.

The Universal Studios Family Productions banner develops and produces live-action and animated family productions directly for the home entertainment and television markets.  Among the group's portfolio of prized properties is The Land Before Time, the most successful feature-length children's home entertainment franchise of all time, having earned more than one billion dollars worldwide to date.  Since its formation in 2005, the group has built an exceptional slate of family fare, including the all new DVD Original release Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, the latest winning installment in the hugely successful Bring It On film franchise; the highly popular action-adventure epic Scorpion King 2: Rise of A Warrior; the Daytime Emmy® winning "Curious George" television series on PBS KIDS; a string of Barbie movies, based on the world-renowned Mattel-branded doll; and the latest crowd pleaser Beethoven's Big Break, based on the beloved family franchise.  Universal Studios Family Productions is part of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

SOURCE Universal Studios Home Entertainment