Dirty Dancing sequel to star Jennifer Grey

A second Dirty Dancing movie, starring Jennifer Grey, is officially happening.

Lionsgate CEO John Feltheimer, who joked the upcoming sequel was “the worst kept secret in Hollywood”, confirmed the news to Deadline.

Feltheimer claimed the follow-up film, which 60-year-old Grey is also serving as an executive producer on, will have a similar feel to the much-adored 1987 classic.

“We’re pleased to confirm that Jennifer Grey will both executive produce and star in a new ‘Dirty Dancing’ movie for Lionsgate from ‘Warm Bodies’ director Jonathan Levine,” he said.

"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.”

A Dirty Dancing sequel has been rumoured since July, after Lionsgate teased they were working with Grey on a new untitled dance film – but refused to confirm whether it was related to the box office smash.

The original film was a huge hit when it was first released 33 years ago, making nearly $220 million at the box office and making huge stars of Grey and the late Patrick Swayze as student Frances 'Baby' Houseman and dance instructor Johnny Castle, respectively.

Tragically, Swayze passed away in 2009 following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.

As well as winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song with (I've Had) The Time of My Life, Dirty Dancing also broke records for being the first film to sell over a million copies on home video.

More recent iterations of the classic have been less well-received; the 2004 sequel titled Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, was panned by critics.

Elsewhere, a TV remake was released in 2017, starring Sarah Hyland and Nichole Scherzinger.