February 2024 hurtles across the screen as a sequel to the 1987 blockbuster Dirty dancingand honestly, if there was ever a time when our favorite love story danced its way back into our lives, it’s now.
Starring the original Jennifer Gray as Frances “Baby” Houseman, the film is set in the 1990s, three decades after the storyline between Baby and Johnny began.
Will the Dirty Dancing sequel be similar to the original?
The memory of the original Dirty dancing scenes are brought to life by the iconic soundtrack and Oscar-winning song, The time of my life. Baby also returns to Kellerman’s Resort in a tale of young love and dance. Could we see a walk down memory lane, or a lesson for the younger generation on how to defy the odds by flying through the skies? It is unknown.
But Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer described the remake saying, “It’s going to be just the kind of romantic, nostalgic film the franchise’s fans have been waiting for, and that’s what has made it the best-selling library title in the company’s history”.
In the film’s initial release in 1987, 17-year-old Baby visits Kellerman’s Resort for a fun, fairly easy summer vacation. To her surprise, the fun would begin after she came across a secret “dirty dancing” party for the resort staff. Baby hides behind the cracked door of their perspiring company and spies on the staff and Johnny, played by Patrick Swayze. The two are soon introduced to each other and Baby falls head over heels for the dance instructor, but not without some tears along the way.
Though her dancing skills were minimal, Baby volunteers to take Johnny’s partner Penny’s place when an abortion forced her to leave the resort’s talent show. Her feelings got the best of her, but Baby quickly learned from Johnny, and soon those feelings would develop into not only an epic dance routine, but love between the two of them. Her father may have disagreed with Johnny’s supposed reputation, but by the end of the summer he realizes what’s right.
What are the themes of Dirty Dancing?
To elaborate on her feelings about the film’s overall concept on Women’s Day, Gray shares what she believes Dirty dancing represents, saying, “It is the idea that transformation is possible with the synergy that comes when someone else sees something in you that you don’t see, or that you wish someone else could see, and they don’t change you, but the connection creates an opening, a possibility that we are all more than we thought we would be in that limited idea.
Gray continued to share her thoughts on the upcoming remake and its production when it was confirmed in 2020 that a sequel was on the way, adding: “But I do know it’s really important to me that certain things are represented, that life isn’t. past and sexuality and fun and satisfaction and feeling very alive and excited about what’s to come must continue. It can’t be just for young people. It’s about how many times we can acknowledge that we’ve given up on ourselves again and that there’s more to be excited about, to discover about ourselves, and it’s not over until it’s over.
Who will produce the sequel?
The original Dirty dancing grossed $214 million at the box office and was the first film to sell more than one million home copies. Fans loved the sparks between Baby and Johnny in their steamy dance scenes, and how could you not when a six-foot-tall man caught you mid-air during a romantic dance? It’s the fantasy that neither sex craves!
The long-awaited sequel doesn’t just keep viewers on their toes. Grey, who is also co-producing the film, is just as impressed by its existence as the fans. What’s more, she got excited candidly with People in 2022 about the upcoming movie saying: “It was lightning in a bottle, it’s like this happened, and it’s so beautiful, and I can’t explain it. No one can explain it. We’re working on this sequel, I’m working on it with Lionsgate and working on the script. We’ve been working on it for a few years now.”
How will the sequel honor Patrick Swayze?
It is not known who the cast will consist of. We sadly know that the beloved Patrick Swayze will not be playing a starring role due to his passing in 2009; However, director Jonathan Levine told Deadline that’s likely the case a tribute to him.
While we won’t be seeing any more blossoming love between Baby and Johnny, it’s clear that the film’s remake will be just as inspiring and mesmerizing as the first, as Gray tells EW, “I’m just super committed and invested in making it’s fresh [take]. What happened, happened, and that will never happen again. There will never be another ‘Johnny’. There will never be another Patrick. This sequel should be its own standalone piece. It’s very difficult”.
The loss of Swayze will inevitably leave viewers in an overflow of emotion, much like the remake as a whole. However, while the cast and directors strive for the success of the original dirty dancing, we might as well lace up our ballet slippers, because Baby is ready to dance.