Lionsgate will be teaming with longtime producing partners Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson on “Dirty Dancing 2,” which is set to begin shooting later this year with star Jennifer Grey returning.
Jacobson and Simpson will produce through their Color Force banner. The pair have been producers on Liongsate’s biggest hit film series, “The Hunger Games,” including this year’s prequel installment, “Sunrise on the Reaping,” due out in November.
Grey, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Frances “Baby” Houseman opposite the late Patrick Swayze, will return to star in the sequel and serve as executive producer. The legacy sequel was first announced by Lionsgate in 2022, but has been stuck in development as the script was worked on. Kim Rosenstock, an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee, has since been tapped to write the script.
“’Dirty Dancing’ remains as beloved today as it was upon its initial release, and we knew that a very special group of people would have to come together for fans to embrace a return to Kellerman’s,” Adam Fogelson, chair for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said. “We are beyond thrilled to announce we have assembled the perfect team to carry this film forward in partnership with Jennifer Grey.”
“There are no better producers for this movie than our longtime partners and friends Nina and Brad from ‘The Hunger Games’, and we could not be more excited to have Kim coming on board to write,” Fogelson continued. “With this super team now in place, we are moving full steam ahead so that both existing fans and new audiences can discover the magic, the music and the emotion that is ‘Dirty Dancing’ in a new theatrical film meant for the big screen.”
On her return to “Dirty Dancing, ” Grey noted that 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 added: “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!”
“’Dirty Dancing’ is that rare film that is as emotional, exhilarating and rebellious today as it was the year it was released,” Jacobson said. “To be able to work with Jennifer Grey and Lionsgate on the sequel is a genuine joy for Brad and me. We feel so fortunate to have been invited back to Kellerman’s for one more dance.”
Meredith Wieck and Maria Ascanio will oversee the project for Lionsgate. Jonathan Levine will also executive produce. The deals were struck by Phil Strina for Lionsgate.
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