“Dirty Dancing” star, Jennifer Grey gave fans what they wanted in the long-awaited announcement that a Dirty Dancing sequel is “happening” and even better, that it will feature some familiar faces.
Speaking of the original 1987 film setting, Grey said, “I would say that you can count on it being at Kellerman’s, returning to Kellerman’s.”
Grey stated that her former character – Frances “Baby” Houseman will be “quite a few years older,” while teasing that a few “other characters from the original” will also be joining her. “It’s tricky, and also exciting,” Grey told Extra.
35 years after starring opposite the late Patrick Swayze in the original, Grey hinted at the fact that there may be a sequel. Swayze played Johnny Castle, the character opposite of Grey in the original classic.
As reported by People,
Grey’s role in the upcoming sequel has been kept relatively quiet since the announcement, and the actress told PEOPLE in November 2020 that the film won’t attempt to recapture her chemistry with Swayze, who died in 2009 of pancreatic cancer at age 57.
In the 2020 interview, Grey said, “All I can say is there is no replacing anyone who’s passed — you never try to repeat anything that’s magic like that. You just go for something different.”
The film is expected to be released in 2024 with Jonathan Levine as the director, per Variety.
Grey continued to say, “And I know in my heart, I would love to give fans or a young, new audience an experience that would never replicate that, but has the same kind of underpinnings. Today people think that their identity is limited, the world has told them what it is. But there are certain people who can see other parts of you.”
“Dirty Dancing was a fairy tale, a successful movie, and formula, using dance as a metaphor for embodying your energy and getting out of your head, and your limiting belief systems,” Grey said.
