Julianne & Derek Hough Develop Dark Dancing Drama 'Blackpool' with Starz

Sibling dancers Julianne and Derek Hough are heading to the other side of the camera and developing a new scripted drama titled Blackpool with Starz.

The drama is set in the world of competitive ballroom dancing and will draw on years of their first-hand experiences as competitors at the world championship level. The show will also revolve around the prestigious annual ballroom competition in Blackpool, England, with a focus on the darker side of ballroom dancing.

Julianne shared with THR, “When you’re in the world, you’re so invested. It’s literally the be-all and end-all. But when you step back from it, you see that obsession with perfection and the fact that the lifestyle that you thought was so glamorous is actually a little shocking…We definitely want it to be fictionalized. We’re going to start with our experiences in the world and stories that we’ve either seen or gone through, but it’ll be fun to be able to elaborate and fictionalize these characters.”

Derek added, “What makes it so interesting is seeing all of the politics and the scandal. It’s framed in the world of ballroom dancing, but the stories that are intertwined are of the partnerships and the sex and the love triangles.”

Julianne and Derek will serve as executive producers as well as the head choreographers but have no plans to appear on screen.

WHAT DO YOU THINK of this new project? Would you watch Blackpool?