Forty years after its release, the iconic ’80s film about the ’60s, Dirty Dancing, is getting a proper sequel. Although, since Patrick Swayze departed this plane many years ago, it will only feature one of its original co-leads, Jennifer Grey, who will reprise her role as Frances “Baby” Houseman. She’ll also be an executive producer. The news comes via The Hollywood Reporter. The original film became a massive sleeper hit in the summer of 1987. It spawned a best-selling soundtrack with multiple hit singles, including the Oscar-winning “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” Lionsgate is producing the new legacy sequel.
Lionsgate has brought aboard Hunger Games and Crazy Rich Asians producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson to oversee the sequel, with production intended to start toward the end of this year. Kim Rosenstock, known for their work on Dying for Sex, is writing the script. In a statement, Jennifer Grey said, “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. 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!”
The original movie took place in a fictional resort in the Catskills called the Kellerman’s. It was there that teenage Baby fell for her dance instructor Johnny Castle, played by Swayze. The film took place in the summer of 1963. So, assuming real time has passed, that means the new movie will take place in 2003. Could the producers be hoping to cash in on early 2000s nostalgia and ’80s nostalgia at the same time? It’s a tactic that might work. There have been Dirty Dancing prequels (remember Havana Nights?), reality competition shows, and even a Broadway musical. But none ever caught fire the way the original 1987 film did. Maybe the addition of Jennifer Grey will be the secret ingredient this version needs to succeed.