‘Dirty Dancing’ Is Finally Getting A Sequel

Nearly 40 years after she made her way out of the corner and into cinema history, Baby Houseman will soon be dusting off her dancing shoes once again.

This week, Lionsgate Films confirmed that a sequel to 1987’s “Dirty Dancing” will begin filming this year, with Jennifer Grey reprising her role as Baby.

Kim Rosenstock, whose credits include “Dying for Sex” and “Only Murders in the Building,” will write the movie’s script, with “The Hunger Games” and “Crazy Rich Asians” producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson also joining the creative team.

Grey, who will also serve as an executive producer, shared her excitement for the project in a statement to Entertainment Weekly and Deadline.

“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. “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!”

Some fans, however, seemed to be having the time of their lives skewering the announcement. Many are pointing out that the new film will have to contend with the absence of Patrick Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2009 at age 57.

“Dirty dancing without Patrick Swayze is trying to dance in cement overshoes,” one person wrote on Instagram.

Added another: “The original movie worked because of the combination of her and Patrick, and Patrick has passed, so let DD rest in peace along with him.”

Others made similar comments on X:

For the uninitiated, 1987’s “Dirty Dancing” follows a bookish teen, Frances “Baby” Houseman (Grey), who falls in love with hunky and rough-around-the edges dance instructor Johnny Castle (Swayze) while vacationing with her family at a Catskills resort in 1963.

While reviews of the film were less than stellar, “Dirty Dancing” raked in more than $218 million at the box office worldwide. And even by modern standards, the film’s take on a number of hot-button issues ― including abortion, gender stereotypes and social class prejudice ― feels ahead of its time.

Though a sequel to “Dirty Dancing” has reportedly been in the works since at least 2020, previous attempts at expanding the film into a franchise have been middling at best. Save for a brief cameo by Swayze, 2004’s “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights” was a flop. And the less said about 2017’s made-for-television remake starring Abigail Breslin and Colt Prattes, the better.