Director Limbers Up for 'Dirty Dancing' Sequel
NEW YORK (Variety) -- The dance is on. TV director Guy Ferland will take the helm of "Havana Nights," a se-quel to 1987's "Dirty Dancing." Pre-production on the Miramax Films/Artisan Entertainment project will begin in the fall; no cast is attached yet. Inspired by the original but set in 1959 Cuba, "Havana Nights" revolves around a 17-year old girl who moves to the island with her family. While there, she defies her family's wishes when she falls for a local dancer, who helps her discover herself and a world beyond her sheltered life. Ferland's directing credits include episodes of "The Shield" and "Ed." Plans to franchise the successful Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Gray original have been in the works for years, and names such as Ricky Martin and Natalie Portman have been bandied about as possible stars. Artisan and Miramax will co-finance the project, with Arti-san handling domestic distribution and Miramax foreign. The home video life of "Dirty Dancing" remains stellar for Artisan: the picture sells an average of 157,000 videos and DVDs per month, according to the company. The soundtrack has sold over 22 million units, making it one of the bestselling albums in RCA history.
NEW YORK (Variety) -- The dance is on. TV director Guy Ferland will take the helm of "Havana Nights," a se-quel to 1987's "Dirty Dancing." Pre-production on the Miramax Films/Artisan Entertainment project will begin in the fall; no cast is attached yet. Inspired by the original but set in 1959 Cuba, "Havana Nights" revolves around a 17-year old girl who moves to the island with her family. While there, she defies her family's wishes when she falls for a local dancer, who helps her discover herself and a world beyond her sheltered life. Ferland's directing credits include episodes of "The Shield" and "Ed." Plans to franchise the successful Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Gray original have been in the works for years, and names such as Ricky Martin and Natalie Portman have been bandied about as possible stars. Artisan and Miramax will co-finance the project, with Arti-san handling domestic distribution and Miramax foreign. The home video life of "Dirty Dancing" remains stellar for Artisan: the picture sells an average of 157,000 videos and DVDs per month, according to the company. The soundtrack has sold over 22 million units, making it one of the bestselling albums in RCA history.
