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.

The latest in the
hugely successful Universal Studios Home Entertainment DVD Originals™
line, Honey 2 is directed by Bille
WoodruffBeauty 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 WayneDukes 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.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment