All About the Long-Anticipated “Dirty Dancing 2” Starring Jennifer Grey

All About the Long-Anticipated “Dirty Dancing 2” Starring Jennifer GreyChristopher Rudolph,

Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in ‘Dirty Dancing’Credit: Snap/Shutterstock

Jennifer Grey will reprise her role as Baby Houseman and serve as an executive producer in Dirty Dancing 2

The sequel is set in the 1990s and follows a new young woman at summer camp

Producers say Patrick Swayze’s absence will be honored without the use of AI

Nearly 40 years after Dirty Dancing first swept audiences off their feet, fans are heading back to Kellerman’s.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed in 2020 that a sequel with Jennifer Grey reprising her iconic role as Frances “Baby” Houseman was in the works, calling it “one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood,” per Deadline.

The actress, who will also executive produce Dirty Dancing 2, told PEOPLE that the movie won’t attempt to recapture the on-screen romance she had with costar Patrick Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2009. “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,” Grey told PEOPLE in November 2020.

Producer Nina Jacobson later revealed that the movie will focus on a new love story and make space for fans to mourn Swayze’s Johnny Castle. “[We are] trying to chase the feeling of that original movie,” she said during a panel at IndieWire’s Future of Filmmaking Summit in October 2026. “Being able to tell a young love story that could take some of those risks but also inspire those feelings felt like an incredible chance for us.”

Here’s everything we know so far about Dirty Dancing 2.

What will Dirty Dancing 2 be about?

Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in ‘Dirty Dancing’Credit: vestron

While the plot for the Dirty Dancing sequel remains under wraps, executive producer Jonathan Levine told Deadline that the new movie will be set in the 1990s and focus on the experience of a new young woman at the summer camp.

However, he said that the new film “exists in a dialogue with the original” with Baby’s own journey and Johnny’s absence intertwining with the new character.

“We want to introduce this story to a whole new generation,” Levine told Deadline in May 2022. “That said, Johnny’s absence looms large over the story, so it’s a coming-of-age story but also a coming-of-age for Baby’s character in a way.”

During the IndieWire panel, Jacobson confirmed that the Dirty Dancing 2 plot would still take place in the ‘90s and that while it will tell a different story, they hope to maintain some of that original magic.

“A movie can’t be just like the book, or a show can’t be just like the book that you are adapting,” the producer said. “But it should make you feel the way the book did, and it should feel the way the book felt.”

Who will be in the Dirty Dancing 2 cast?

Jennifer Grey ; Jennifer Grey attends the Producers Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 8, 2025 in Los AngelesCredit: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

The full cast has not been announced for the Dirty Dancing sequel, but Grey will be returning to reprise her “deep and meaningful” role from the 1987 classic.

“I’ve long wondered where we might find Baby years later and what her life might be like,” the actress said in a January 2026 statement, acknowledging the years-long effort to bring the sequel to life.

She continued, “But it’s taken time to assemble the kind of people that I felt could be entrusted to build on the legacy of the original film ... and I’m excited to say that it looks like the wait will soon be over!”

As for how Dirty Dancing 2 will address Swayze’s death and his influential role in the franchise, Jacobson hasn’t revealed much. But she has shared what the movie won’t do.

“That’s one of the things that you really have to focus on: how to let people mourn him in a movie,” the producer said at IndieWire’s summit. “And don’t worry, we won’t be bringing him back with AI.”

Levine previously teased in May 2022 that Grey might not be the only familiar face to return, telling Deadline that they were “going to try to involve as many people from the original as is appropriate.”

Who is directing Dirty Dancing 2?

Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in ‘Dirty Dancing’Credit: Vestron/Kobal/Shutterstock

A director for the Dirty Dancing sequel has not been confirmed.

When the project was announced in 2020, Levine was attached as director, but he will now serve as an executive producer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dying for Sex creator Kim Rosenstock will write the script, with Jacobson and Brad Simpson set to produce.

When is Dirty Dancing 2 being filmed?

Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in ‘Dirty Dancing’Credit: Snap/Shutterstock

Production on the Dirty Dancing sequel was set to begin in 2026, but filming has not been confirmed.

Though the movie was announced in August 2020, it hit production delays due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, per Deadline. The outlet also reported in May 2026 that producers were still waiting on a script.

Filming locations for the sequel have not been revealed, but the original was shot at Mountain Lake Lodge in Virginia and Lake Lure in North Carolina, according to The New York Times.

When is Dirty Dancing 2 coming out?