Dirty Dancing Remake Starring Abigail Breslin - 5 Facts You May Not Know
Dirty Dancing (1987) has long been established as an iconic film. From the music to the dancing, people around the world fell—and continue to fall—in love with the movie. Now the story's set to return as a TV musical, and there are a few facts you need to know before it hits the small screen.
Who's playing Baby and Johnny?
The success of the TV remake largely depends on its leading actors. Luckily, the roles of both Baby and Johnny, the characters that Jennifer Grey and the late Patrick Swayze portrayed in the original film, are both being played by experienced actors. As reported by PopSugar, Abigail Breslin, who's been acting since she was young in films like Little Miss Sunshine (2006), has been cast as Frances "Baby" Houseman while Colt Prattes will be jumping into the shoes of Johnny Castle. Prattes may not have too many acting credits to his name, but he is an accomplished dancer, and you may recognize him from P!nk's music video for "Try."
What other stars will appear?
Of course, Dirty Dancing has plenty of other iconic roles for actors to step into. Sarah Hyland of Modern Family fame was cast as Baby's sister, Lisa Houseman. American Crime Story actor Bruce Greenwood and Will & Grace star Debra Messing were chosen to play Baby's parents, Dr. Jake Houseman and Marjorie Houseman, respectively.
Other stars to keep an eye out for include the Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger as Penny Rivera, Sons of Anarchy actress Katey Sagal as Vivian Pressman, Star Wars actor Billy Dee Williams as Tito, and Jennifer Lopez's ex-boyfriend Beau Casper Smart as Billy Kotsecki.
When will it air, and what can we expect?
The new Dirty Dancing film, which is slated to be three hours long, is scheduled to air May 24, 2017, at 8/7c on ABC. But don't expect to tune in to a shot-for-shot remake of the original film.
"This isn't a replica of the original," Messing warned People magazine. "This takes some liberties. It has the DNA of the original, but you are going to find out what happened to Baby and Johnny after that summer ended. So there's some additional surprises in there that are new."
But the actress is optimistic that old and new fans of the film will find something to love: "My hope is that people who loved the movie are going to be happy with all the things that are iconic with the movie, that they'll appreciate the things that are new and modernized with this version."
What are people saying about it?
While we'll have to wait until the movie airs to find out how the remake differs from its source material, the stars of the show have let fans in on what it's like on set. And by the sound of things, this production will be a success.
"It was the most magical work experience I've ever had. Everybody in it is so incredible," Breslin told Out magazine. "The whole cast loved each other, and I think that really comes across onscreen."
The 20-year-old continued, "I don't want to sound too self-aggrandizing, but I think the movie's really dope. I think you're going to love it."
Hyland also spoke out about the project. In an interview with Wonderwall, she stated, "There are new characters. There are character storylines that you have never really gone in-depth with before. There are some little changes. But the Baby-Johnny-Penny storyline is exactly the same."
"We would never stray from that–ever," she adds. "That's too iconic."
Glad to know some things will stay the same!
Haven't there been Dirty Dancing remakes before?
No, there haven't exactly been any direct remakes of the classic film, but there has been plenty of Dirty Dancing-inspired fare. In 1988, CBS aired a TV series of the same name, but it was canceled after only a few episodes. In 2004, producers attempted to recreate the movie magic of the original film with Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. None of the original cast appeared in the film except for Patrick Swayze's cameo as a dance class instructor.
Dirty Dancing has been adapted for the stage multiple times as a play and as a musical. There was also a U.K. reality dance competition called Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life, which ran from 2007 to 2008.
So, if you just can't wait to watch ABC's new TV movie, there's plenty of Dirty Dancing material to hold you over until it premieres.