Jennifer Grey breaks silence on making 'Dirty Dancing' sequel without Patrick Swayze

'Dirty Dancing' won't be the same without Patrick Swayze. It's been over 33 years since the romantic drama dance film hit the silver screen, but fans of the classic are still fond of its charm and the chemistry between lead actors Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze.

While the fans are excited about the upcoming sequel of the 1987 film, there is no denying that there will be a void without the late Patrick Swayze, who played dance instructor Johnny Castle in the film. Jennifer Grey, who played the character of Frances "Baby" Houseman, a young woman who falls in love with Patrick's Johnny Castle, clarified that the sequel won't even attempt to re-create the chemistry between Baby and Johnny.

In a recent conversation with People magazine, Grey remembered her "Dirty Dancing" co-star who lost his fight to pancreatic cancer in 2009 at the age of 57. She said: "All I can say is there is no replacing anyone who's passed—you never try to repeat anything that's magic like that. You just go for something different."

The 60-year-old added that she believes the reason behind the movie's enduring popularity is that "its appeal was that it was very genuine and simple."

"It was about innocence and the way that innocence is lost and how people explode into a different iteration of themselves," she said.

The news of the much-anticipated sequel was confirmed by Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer to Deadline in August this year, who referred to it as "one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood." He added that the film will be "exactly the kind of romantic, nostalgic movie that the franchise's fans have been waiting for and that have made it the biggest-selling library title in the Company's history."

The sequel of the award-winning film will be produced by Jonathan Levine with Gillian Bohrer and will feature a screenplay done by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis.

The original film produced by Linda Gottlieb and directed by Emile Ardolino was based on screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein's own childhood. It tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a rebellious dance instructor while holidaying at the resort of her father's friend.