Kenny Ortega To Direct Dirty Dancing Reboot

By Jolie LashLOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Dirty Dancing is getting the reboot treatment, Lionsgate announced on Monday. Kenny Ortega, the films original choreographer, and director of Michael Jacksons This Is It, will direct the new film. The opportunity to direct Dirty Dancing is like returning home for me, Ortega said in a statement. Growing up in the 60s, on the dance floor helped define me as a person and as an artist. I am looking forward to assembling a great creative team and an exciting cast to bring Dirty Dancing to the screen for a new generation. Patrick Swayze set the bar for men dancing in the movies as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire did before him. I believe everywhere you look there is evidence that the talent is out there and I cant wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple-threats. AH Nation Poll: Is the Dirty Dancing reboot a good idea? Click HERE to vote! Ortega is set to produce the film with Debra Martin Chase, whose credits include The Princess Diaries and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Amazingly it has been almost 25 years since the original film was released, but the fans remain legion, and engaged more than ever with a brand that is special and vital to them. We believe that the timing couldnt be better to modernize this story on the big screen, and we are proud to have Kenny Ortega at the helm, Joe Drake, co-Chief Operating Officer of Lionsgate and President of the Motion Picture Group said in a statement. Lionsgate is in talks with the original writer and co-producer of the 1987 film, Eleanor Bergstein, to become involved with the reboot in some capacity, the studio said in a release. The late Patrick Swayze and recent Dancing with the Stars champ Jennifer Grey starred in the original, much-beloved film. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.