Jonathan Levine Will Direct The Dirty Dancing Sequel The Nerd Stash

Jonathan Levine will direct the Lionsgate Dirty Dancing sequel. The original film became a pop-culture phenomenon and a box office hit. Jennifer Grey is reprising her role as Frances “Baby” Houseman from the original film. Levine has previously directed the films The Long Shot and Warm Bodies. Not only will he direct the sequel, but Jonathan Levine has co-written the screenplay with Elizabeth Chomko. The Dirty Dancing sequel will follow a coming-of-age romance centered around a young woman but also overlap with Baby’s story. Sadly, Patrick Swayze, who played Baby’s love interest, Johnny Castle, passed away in 2009. The production team already has a list of names to play the lead, but no names have been released. The Dirty Dancing sequel plans to start production later this year and then release the film in 2024. The production team has teased that others from the original film will make an appearance.

The Lionsgate Dirty Dancing Sequel Has Big Shoes to Fill

It’s not the first time that producers have tried to duplicate the success of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. There was the prequel film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, the television remake Dirty Dancing, and the failed Dirty Dancing series. None of these projects reached the same level of acclaim as the original. The Lionsgate Dirty Dancing remake at least has Jennifer Grey attached to the project. Patrick Swayze did make a cameo in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and that did not help it at the box office. Jonathan Levine will direct the sequel, and he has experience with romance films. Dirty Dancing, however, is in a league of its own. If the Lionsgate Dirty Dancing sequel tries too hard to be like the original, it will fail just like all the others. It’s one thing to direct a film, but Jonathan Levine is also a co-screenwriter for the Dirty Dancing sequel.

It would be hard to replicate the chemistry between Baby and Johnny, despite the actors despising each other off-camera. Fans of the original film will have to wait until 2024 for this film, also called Dirty Dancing, to be released.