It’s been four years since a sequel to “Dirty Dancing” was announced, with Jennifer Grey set to reprise her role as Frances “Baby” Houseman from the 1987 original. The follow-up film was originally slated for a 2024 release, but Lionsgate pushed back its theatrical release due to last year’s Hollywood strikes.
Recently, Grey shared an update on the long-delayed “Dirty Dancing” sequel at the BFI London Film Festival premiere of her latest film, “A Real Pain.”
“I can’t tell you much about ‘Dirty Dancing’ as I’m not going to make promises,” Grey told GamesRadar+ and other reporters at the “A Real Pain” premiere in London on Sunday. “I’m just waiting for them to really nail it down as it has to be right.”
Grey also told the reporters that they can “push that aside” until the next time they speak, “when it hopefully it will all be ironed out.”
Back in 2020, Lionsgate announced that a new “Dirty Dancing” installment was in the works, with Grey attached to star and executive produce. Jonathan Levine, the filmmaker behind “Long Shot,” “Warm Bodies” and “50/50,” is directing the sequel.
“While the original ‘Dirty Dancing’ has always been one of my favorite films, I never imagined I would direct the sequel,” Levine said in a statement in May 2022. “Through co-writing it, I fell in love with the characters (new and old), the world of 1990s Catskills New York, and the music, which will range from songs from the original movie to ‘90s hip-hop. I can’t wait to collaborate with Jennifer to bring this beautiful story of summer and romance and dancing to a generation of new fans. And to the longtime ones, I promise we will not ruin your childhood. We will tackle the assignment with sophistication, ambition, and, above all, love.”
Set in 1963 at a Catskills resort, the original “Dirty Dancing” follows a young woman named Frances “Baby” Houseman (Grey), who falls in love with the resort’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). In 2022, Variety reported that the filmmakers were in conversations with Swayze’s estate to incorporate the late actor’s presence in some way in the sequel.
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