1980s hit film Dirty Dancing to be remade for television

Classic 1987 film Dirty Dancing will be remade for television, courtesy of US network ABC. Oscar-nominated Abigail Breslin, who rose to fame in 2006 movie Little Miss Sunshine, will play Baby Houseman. ABC announced plans for the three-hour adaptation with the 19-year-old confirmed in the role originally played by Jennifer Grey. No other cast members have been revealed. The news has sparked speculation as to who will portray dance instructor Johnny, the part that catapulted the late Patrick Swayze to stardom. Set in the summer of 1963, Dirty Dancing is a love story revolving around 17-year-old Baby and Johnny, the man who teaches her how to dance. Eleanor Bergstein, who wrote the screenplay for the original movie, is on board for the new small screen incarnation. She was also behind the successful 2004 musical, Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage. A prequel, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, was released in the same year. ABC’s Dirty Dancing is the latest musical adaptation planned for television.