The Dirty Dancing sequel will allow fans to "mourn" the original film's star Patrick Swayze, according to producer Nina Jacobson.
Jennifer Grey is set to reprise her role as Frances 'Baby' Houseman in the upcoming sequel to the 1987 classic, in which Swayze played Baby's dance instructor and love interest Johnny Castle.
Speaking at IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking 2026 Summit over the weekend, producer Jacobson shared how the film will honour Swayze - who died in 2009 - and assured fans he won't make a posthumous appearance via AI.
"That's one of the things that you really have to focus on: how to let people mourn him in a movie," Jacobson said. "And don't worry, we won't be bringing him back with AI."
The project, which was first announced in 2022, will be set in the 1990s and revolve around a new romance with a fresh cast of young actors. Grey's co-stars have yet to be unveiled.
Reflecting on the original film, The Hunger Games producer shared, "I remember when I first saw it, it seemed like very glossy entertainment. Now it feels like kind of an indie. They take a lot of risks and they touch a lot of topics that people don't touch in movies anymore... If you tried to just slip by an abortion subplot in a romantic movie now, I think you'd get a lot of notes on that."
Jacobson added that she and Grey want the follow-up to make people feel the same way the original did.
"Grey has incredible insights into why she thinks (Dirty Dancing) has lasted so much or what it is about her character that spoke so much to people and still does," she explained. "(We are) trying to chase the feeling of that original movie... 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."
A previous Dirty Dancing sequel, titled Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, was released in 2004 and featured a brief cameo from Swayze.
