Good news, Dirty Dancing fans! A sequel to the hit 1987 movie is scheduled to begin filming later this year.
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The news was shared today, Jan. 27, by Lionsgate and reported by PEOPLE. It will be written by Kim Rosenstock, who wrote the critically acclaimed series Dying for Sex. Production is expected to begin later this year.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the announcement is that Jennifer Grey will be in the film. She is reprising the role her role as Frances "Baby" Houseman.
"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," she said.
What Will the New "Dirty Dancing" Be About?
Details on the plot remain unknown. However, Grey hints that the Dirty Dancing sequel will revolve around her character's life years after the first film.
"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," she said.
Grey is an executive producer on the film. She had said back in 2020 that the film had been in the works and wouldn't try to repeat the chemistry she shared with actor Patrick Swayze in the first film. Swayze, who played Johnny Castle in the original, died in 2009 from pancreatic cancer. He was 57.
"All I can say is there is no replacing anyone who's passed — you never try to repeat anything that's magic like that," said Grey. "You just go for something different."
This Isn't the First Sequel to "Dirty Dancing"
Back in 2004, a standalone sequel titled Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights was released. While Swayze appeared briefly in the film as a dance instructor, audiences and critics did not think it captured the magic of the original.
Then, in 2017, a reimagining of the film was made for ABC. It starred Abigail Breslin as "Baby" and Colt Prattes as Johnny. It also starred Sarah Hyland from Modern Family, Will and Grace star Debra Messing, and Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls.
