‘Dirty Dancing’ Sequel With Jennifer Grey Gets Major Update

Lionsgate’s upcoming Dirty Dancing sequel with Jennifer Grey just got a major update.

It was previously announced that Grey will reprise her role as Frances “Baby” Houseman from the 1987 Emile Ardolino hit for a new movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate announced that producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will oversee the film, which is eyeing to start production later this year. Kim Rosenstock will pen the script. As of now, a director has not been tapped. Jonathan Levine, who was set to direct, will instead just serve as executive producer. Grey is also on board to be an EP.

“Dirty Dancing remains as beloved today as it was upon its initial release, and we knew that a very special group of people would have to come together for fans to embrace a return to Kellerman’s,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement. “We are beyond thrilled to announce we have assembled the perfect team to carry this film forward in partnership with Jennifer Grey. There are no better producers for this movie than our longtime partners and friends, Nina and Brad from The Hunger Games, and we could not be more excited to have Kim coming on board to write. With this super team now in place, we are moving full steam ahead so that both existing fans and new audiences can discover the magic, the music, and the emotion that is Dirty Dancing in a new theatrical film meant for the big screen.”

Also starring the late Patrick Swayze, Dirty Dancing was released in August 1987 and follows Baby (Grey), a young woman who falls in love with dance instructor Johnny Castle (Swayze) while on vacation at a resort in the 1963 Borscht Belt. The film, which had its premiere at Cannes the previous May, made $214 million at the box office on a mere $4.5 million budget. Its popularity launched a franchise that includes a television series, reality competition shows, a prequel, stage production, and more.

“The role of Baby has held a very deep and meaningful place in my heart, as it has in the hearts of so many fans over the years,” Grey added. “I’ve long wondered where we might find Baby years later and what her life might be like, but it’s taken time to assemble the kind of people that I felt could be entrusted to build on the legacy of the original film… and I’m excited to say that it looks like the wait will soon be over!”

“Dirty Dancing is that rare film that is as emotional, exhilarating, and rebellious as it was the year it was released,” Jacobson said in her own statement. “To be able to work with Jennifer Grey and Lionsgate on the sequel is a genuine joy for Brad and me. We feel so fortunate to have been invited back to Kellerman’s for one more dance.”

Additional details on the Dirty Dancing sequel should be announced soon.