Long-awaited Dirty Dancing sequel won't use AI to bring back Patrick Swayze

The Dirty Dancing sequel will be honouring late star Patrick Swayze, with producer Nina Jacobson reassuring fans of the 1987 film that the actor won't be brought back using artificial intelligence.

Premiered at Cannes, the original movie starred Swayze as dance instructor Johnny Castle and Jennifer Grey as Frances 'Baby' Houseman in a whirlwind romance set at a holiday resort in the Catskills. Set in 1963, the film sees working-class Johnny and wealthy, sheltered Baby's very different worlds collide on the dance floor in a secret love story that's firmly opposed by her family.

Grey is set to reprise the role of Baby in a previously announced 1990s-set sequel. Ever since the project was revealed, there have been talks about how the follow-up would pay tribute to Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2009 at age 57.

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Now, Jacobson, whose production banner Color Force is behind the sequel, has touched upon the subject as one of the main focuses of the new film.

"That's one of the things that you really have to focus on: how to let people mourn him in a movie," Jacobson said during a panel at IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking 2026 Summit presented by AT&T.

"And don't worry, we won’t be bringing him back with AI."

Jacobson also stated that the continuation will have the same raw tone of the original, which dealt with themes of class, gender and abortion.

"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," the producer said.

In 2022, Grey was asked about the new Dirty Dancing and confirmed that Swayze's role would not be recast.

"What happened happened, and that will never happen again. There will never be another Johnny. There will never be another Patrick," the star told Entertainment Weekly at the time.

"This sequel has got to be its own standalone piece. It's very tricky."

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).