The Love, Simon and The Flash star is joining the cast of the series based on the popular film franchise.
Mey RudeKeiynan Lonsdale is taking his skills back to the dance floor.
Today, Deadline announced that Lonsdale has joined the cast of the new Starz TV reboot of dance film franchise Step Up, based on the popular movies about a ragtag dance crew overcoming the odds and finding family.
The series stars Ne-yo and Christina Milian as Sage Odom, the legendary founder of Atlanta’s High Water Performing Arts School, and Colette, the Queen of High Water and Odom’s “partner in art, business, and love.” Colette is serving as manager of the school’s dance tour, but when a dark secret is revealed, “Collette is tempted by an opportunity to step out of her role as the woman behind the man, to become the powerful woman in front of the man.”
Lonsdale is playing Tal, the lead dancer on the High Water dance team, who is described as “lean, graceful, and courageous.” After moving from Ohio to Atlanta, Tal is “faced persecution for his eccentricities, his sexuality, and his refusal to submit to the expectations of others. Dancing his way into High Water, literally, beaten and bloodied, Tal became the pride of Sage Odom’s elite dance crew. Now, the lead dancer for Sage’s massive tour, Tal must continue to be the most crucial piece in a support system that carries his friends, his family, and a billion-dollar tour.”
This isn’t his first foray into the dance film world. Last year, Lonsdale starred as Juilliard, the popular and mean lead of a school dance team in the Netflix film Work It about a girl who starts a dance team in hopes it will help her get into college.
He’s also known for his role as Blue in the gay high school film Love, Simon, and for playing the role of Kid Flash, Wally West on the CW’s series The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Of course, all of this is in addition to his career as a solo music artist.
Stars of the original Step Up film Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan are serving as executive producers on this project alongside Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot, who produced the original films. Erik Feig, who produced and oversaw the films as an executive at Lionsgate is also producing, and Holly Sorensen is serving as creator and executive producer.
Also joining the cast are dancer Rebbi Rosie, Power star Enrique Murciano, and Cobra Kai’s Terayle Hill.
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