JTA — It’s official: A “Dirty Dancing” sequel is coming, and it’s starring Jewish actress Jennifer Grey, who played Frances “Baby” Houseman in the 1987 original.
The film’s leading actor, Patrick Swayze, died in 2009 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed the news to Deadline on Thursday, while keeping the plot secret.
“It will be exactly the kind of romantic, nostalgic movie that the franchise’s fans have been waiting for and that have made it the biggest-selling library title in the Company’s history,” Feltheimer said on a company call, according to Deadline.
The site had reported on the rumor last month. Jewish filmmaker Jonathan Levine, known for helming “50/50” and “Warm Bodies,” will direct. Grey, 60, will also executive produce the film.
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The original movie took place at a resort in the Borscht Belt, the vacation destination popular with New York Jews for decades in the mid-20th century, which has also been lovingly depicted in the hit show “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
A poorly received prequel of sorts, “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” was released in 2004.
TOI staff contributed to this report
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