[Kerry]

:/ If it ain't broken don't fix it is my view but.....

Lionsgate has announced that Dirty Dancing is to be remade by the film's original choreographer Kenny Ortega.

The classic 1987 film, directed by Emile Ardolino, saw Jennifer Grey starring as a young girl nicknamed 'Baby' who falls in love with dance instructor Johnny Castle, played by the late Patrick Swayze.

"The opportunity to direct Dirty Dancing is like returning home for me," Ortega said. "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 can't wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple-threats."

Dirty Dancing grossed $213.95 million (£130.53 million) internationally after it was made for $6 million (£3.6 million).

Ortega has directed two episodes of the spinoff Dirty Dancing television series, the High School Musical series and Michael Jackson's This Is It.

Producer Debra Martin Chase added: "This remake of Dirty Dancing presents an exciting opportunity to both celebrate what has made this movie so beloved and refresh and enhance it so that new audiences can claim it as their own.

"I am thrilled to be working with Kenny Ortega again and with the dynamic creative team at Lionsgate."

In November, Grey appeared on the US dance reality show Dancing with the Stars but refused to recreate the trademark 'lift' from the winning dance sequence performed in the film.

Swayze died in 2009 after suffering from pancreatic cancer for two years.

Ortega previously departed from the planned remake of 1980s hit Footloose. He reportedly decided to leave the project because of concerns about the budget and the tone of the remake.