Far from putting Baby in the corner, Jennifer Grey is bringing her beloved ”Dirty Dancing” character back to the big screen.
Lionsgate Studios CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed Thursday that Grey, 60, will executive produce and star in a new version of the 1987 film. The original starred Grey as Frances “Baby” Houseman and Patrick Swayze as hunky dance instructor Johnny Castle (who uttered the famed “nobody puts Baby in a corner” line).
“Dirty Dancing” was a cultural phenom that grossed $218 million in global box office and won an Oscar for best original song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
In a phone call to analysts Thursday, Feltheimer said the new movie “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.”
Lionsgate holds the rights to the franchise and put out the little-seen 2004 sequel “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” centered around Diego Luna and Romola Garai. The sequel did not feature the original stars in the Cuban, pre-revolution setting, though Swayze made an appearance as a dance instructor.
Grey showed off her true Baby skills, winning season 11 of “Dancing With the Stars,” with partner Derek Hough in 2010 at age 50 — the oldest female contestant to take the crown.
There were no details on co-stars or plot for the new version that will be produced and developed by Jonathan Levine (“Warm Bodies”). Swayze died of pancreatic cancer in 2009.
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