Warner Bros. has set writer Malcolm Spellman to develop a feature based on the classic TV show Soul Train.

According to Variety, Darryl Porter and Aaron Geller of Porter/Geller Prods. will produce with Don Cornelius, the host and producer of the famed show, which ran from 1971-2006.

Spellman said that he's writing a film set in the 1980s.

"All of the hip-hop street dances you see today were born during that time period and were first seen on that show, and I remember doing all of them when I was a kid," said Spellman, whose credits include Dead Presidents.

The protagonist comes from the L.A. hood, and his ticket out is his gift for "popping," a street dance that became popular in the period. Cornelius told Spellman he'd always wanted to mount a tour with bands and dancers, and the writer will make that fictional tour a centerpiece of the film.

"This guy is a serious popper, with street edge, and he wants to get on that tour, with the hottest of the hot," Spellman said. "Writing with Don involved is quite an experience. He's still the godfather of cool."