Here’s a sight for hungry eyes: Jennifer Grey, a.k.a. Dirty Dancing’s “Baby,” is reportedly getting ready to star in and executive produce an untitled dance movie with Lionsgate. Based upon the few details known about the project, insiders believe it could be a sequel to the 1987 classic that also starred the late Patrick Swayze.
Here’s why Jennifer Grey’s upcoming role has the potential to be another Dirty Dancing movie. It is being developed by Lionsgate, the studio that owns the rights to the property and developed the 2004 prequel Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, per Variety. Also the movie is expected to be set in the ‘90s, which would match up with the iconic film’s timeline. Dirty Dancing was set in the Catskills Resort during the summer of 1963. The movie is now 33 years old – so if we were to meet Frances "Baby" Houseman today, she’d be living in 1996 and be 50 years old.
The script for the film will be penned by the writers of two 2019 films, romantic drama Five Feet Apart and Conjuring universe spinoff The Curse of La Llorona. Jonathan Levine, the director behind 50/50 and Long Shot, and Warm Bodies’ producer Gillian Bohrer are also developing the dance movie with the studio.
Jennifer Grey guest starred in Grey’s Anatomy last year during Season 15 and previously had a regular role in Amazon Prime’s Red Oaks from 2014 to 2017. Grey revisited her Dirty Dancing roots for 2010’s season of Dancing With the Stars, where she won the top prize with Derek Hough by her side. She skipped out on an appearance in ABC’s made-for-television remake of Dirty Dancing back in 2017. The flick starred Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin as Baby.
It’s no secret Dirty Dancing was a massive hit when it hit theaters in the late ‘80s, scoring the No. 10 spot on the highest-grossing box office earners in the domestic market, with a total of over $213 million worldwide. Made on a modest budget of around $6 million, Dirty Dancing also became the first movie to ever sell over 1 million copies via home video. Oh, and it won an Oscar, specifically Best Original Song for “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”
The sad fact is one half of what made Dirty Dancing great is no longer with us. Patrick Swayze passed away back in 2009 at the age of 57 after complications relating to his year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Bringing back Jennifer Grey’s Baby without Patrick Swayze’s Johnny Castle may make fans' hearts heavy, especially if he is recasted or replaced.
At this point, a Dirty Dancing sequel is still speculation, but some facts do seem to point to the possibility of it. Would you be excited to see Jennifer Grey return to her iconic role over 30 years later? Vote in our poll below and stick with us here on CinemaBlend for more movie news.
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