Baby is back.
It was first announced by Lionsgate at this year’s CinemaCon back in April, and now the project is moving forward. The untitled Dirty Dancing sequel, which features the original movie’s star, Jennifer Grey, reprising her role as Baby, will open in theaters in time for Valentine’s Day in 2024.
According to Deadline, here is what the movie is about: “In part 2, Baby (Grey) takes us back to Kellerman’s Resort for a story of summer, young romance, and dancing.” So not exactly a bold departure from the source material, then.
The sequel will be directed by Jonathan Levine, whose previous work includes 50/50, The Wackness, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, and the Seth Rogen comedies 50/50, The Night Before, and Long Shot. The script is by Levine, with Elizabeth Chomko, Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Iaconis.
The original Dirty Dancing’s director, Emile Ardolino, passed away in 1993. Grey’s co-star in the film, Patrick Swayze, died in 2009. It’s not clear yet how or if the film will address Swayze’s absence; in the original movie, he played the Kellerman’s dance instructor who falls in love Baby.
Previous attempts to extend the Dirty Dancing franchise include a 2004 prequel, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, which included a Swayze cameo, and a stage musical version.
The Dirty Dancing sequel will open in theaters on February 9, 2024. It had better be titled Dirtier Dancing. Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s big-screen version of Judy Blume’s famous novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret will now open on April 28, 2023, instead of in the fall of this year.