American actress Jennifer Gray, known for her role as Francis Houseman (Baby) in the 1987 cult music melodrama Dirty Dancing, will be producing a new dance film for Lionsgate. She will act as an executive producer of the tape, and also play a major role in it.
The project script will be taken by Mickey Doutry and Tobias Iakonis, who worked on the films “The Curse of the Weeping” and “A meter from each other”. Also, producers Jonathan Levin (“That couple else”) and Gillian Böhrer (“The Warmth of Our Bodies”) will join the production.
The name of the new tape is not yet known. Details of the plot are also kept secret, however, as Variety notes, the film may be a continuation of Dirty Dancing.
Lionsgate representatives declined to comment on these rumors.
Many Internet users were enthusiastic about the news of a possible sequel to Dirty Dancing. They suggested that the new tape would not be as successful as the original film.
Some also remembered a television remake, which at one time was coldly received by both critics and viewers, and urged filmmakers to leave Dirty Dancing alone.
Nooooo! Remember the tv remake🤢 leave it ALONE
- Shut Up 𝕭𝖎𝖙𝖈𝖍 (@ Ineed5dollars) July 14, 2020Interestingly, Dirty Dancing is not the only dance project in which Jennifer Gray participated. In 2010, the actress won the popular show "Dancing with the Stars" (where she performed with professional dancer Derek Hough). The rivals of the couple were actor David Hasselhoff, comedian Margaret Cho, former basketball player Rick Fox, singer Brandy Norwood and others.
Pitiful parodies and unique original
Emil Ardolino's film Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray, was released in the summer of 1987. Events in it unfold in 1963. Seventeen-year-old Baby (Gray) arrives with her parents and sister in a boarding house, where she meets the dancer Johnny Castle (Swayze). He is preparing to perform with his partner Penny, but due to pregnancy, she has to refuse to participate in a dance number. A vacant place is occupied by Baby. During rehearsals between the characters there is sympathy, but the girl’s parents are against their connection.
The film was very successful at the box office: with a budget of $ 6 million, he collected more than $ 200 million. In addition, the tape was awarded the Academy Award for the best song - (I've Had) The Time of My Life performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warns, as well as a number of other awards.
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A year later, a series based on the film of the same name was released on CBS. None of the original tape team took part in the work on the project. The show lasted half the season and was closed in January 1989 due to low ratings.
In 2004, the prequel of the film - “Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights” by Guy Ferland with Diego Luna and Romola Garay in the lead roles. The action of the tape takes place in Cuba in 1958. The plot reminds the story of Johnny and Baby: together with her parents, the heroine arrives in Havana. There she meets a charming waiter, who turns out to be a virtuoso dancer. To help him make money, the girl offers to take part in a dance competition together. During rehearsals, young people fall in love with each other.
The film was highly appreciated by the audience - its rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 73% based on almost 270 thousand votes. However, critics awarded him only 23% of "freshness." At the box office, the tape also did not show high results: with a budget of $ 25 million, it raised $ 27.7 million.
Even less successful was the television remake of 2017, which almost completely repeats the plot of the 1987 film. Most viewers criticized the film, noting the unconvincing play of the actors and poor-quality production of dance numbers. The tape was called a parody, similar to "a cheap movie for youngsters, and with erotic elements." On the Rotten Tomatoes website, both critics and viewers did not give a remake and 20% "freshness."