Back in 2007 it was reported that Kenny Ortega, best known for directing all three High School Musicals, had been hired to helm a remake of Footloose. From that point on it was a series of ups and downs, with Zack Efron signing on for the lead role and then leaving the project. Though Ortega said the project would continue without Efron, it eventually fell apart and the director decided to leave. Since then, of course, Craig Brewer picked up the project and now it's set to be released on October 14, but don't fret for Ortega: he's found another singing-and-dancing movie to remake.
A press release has been sent out announcing that the filmmaker has signed on to direct a remake of Dirty Dancing, the 1987 Emile Ardolino film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. The twist of the story is that Ortega was actually the original film's choreographer and also directed two episodes of the Dirty Dancing television series that aired from 1988-1989. The original film was about a girl (Grey) who travels with her family to upstate New York and falls in love with a dancing instructor (Swayze). The project is being backed by Lionsgate, which has decided to restart the franchise after the disaster that was 2004's Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. The feature will be Ortega's first since High School Musical 3: Senior Year and first movie since the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It.
So I understand that Ortega is a natural choice because of his connection to the original movie, but there's still one important question that needs to be answered: why do we need a remake of Dirty Dancing? Has anyone ever watched that movie and thought to themselves, "You know what this needs? More hip hop!"? I'm willing to bet the answer is no.
