Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, producers of Lionsgate‘s Hunger Games movies, are set to produce the studio’s next installment of Dirty Dancing. The screenplay will be written by Emmy and Golden Globe nominee and 2025 Humanitas Prize winner Kim Rosenstock with an eye to commence production this year.
Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey is reprising her Golden Globe-nominated role as Frances “Baby” Houseman, which was the plan all along, and she’ll EP the movie. Jonathan Levine, who was previously set to direct, is executive producing.
KIM ROSENSTOCK
Jason Rothenberg
“Dirty Dancing remains as beloved today as it was upon its initial release, and we knew that a very special group of people would have to come together for fans to embrace a return to Kellerman’s,” said Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “We are beyond thrilled to announce we have assembled the perfect team to carry this film forward in partnership with Jennifer Grey. There are no better producers for this movie than our longtime partners and friends Nina and Brad from The Hunger Games, and we could not be more excited to have Kim coming on board to write. With this super team now in place, we are moving full steam ahead so that both existing fans and new audiences can discover the magic, the music and the emotion that is Dirty Dancing in a new theatrical film meant for the big screen.”
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Grey said: “The role of Baby has held a very deep and meaningful place in my heart, as it has in the hearts of so many fans over the years. I’ve long wondered where we might find Baby years later and what her life might be like, 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.”
Jacobson added: “Dirty Dancing is that rare film that is as emotional, exhilarating and rebellious today as it was the year it was released. To be able to work with Jennifer Grey and Lionsgate on the sequel is a genuine joy for Brad and me. We feel so fortunate to have been invited back to Kellerman’s for one more dance.”
Meredith Wieck and Maria Ascanio will oversee the project for Lionsgate. The deals were struck by Phil Strina for Lionsgate.
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PGA and Emmy winners Jacobson and Simpson of Color Force are producing The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping prequel for Lionsgate, which will hit theaters November 20. They also serve as executive producers of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Netflix limited series Love Story: John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
Rosenstock is co-creator of the hit Hulu series Dying for Sex, starring Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate. In addition, she is an executive producer on Love Story: John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette and previously served as a writer and producer on Only Murders in the Building, GLOW, Single Parents and New Girl.
Lionsgate’s 2026 is off to a great start with the carryover success of The Housemaid, which is gunning toward $300 million at the global box office and also is the highest-grossing movie of director Paul Feig’s career (when comped against the rest of his canon, with inflation and foreign currency swings taken into consideration).
