Local 'Dirty Dancing' remake on hold; Lionsgate returns funds
A TV mini-series remake of the 1987 movie classic "Dirty Dancing" that was set to film in the Asheville area will not happen anytime soon.
The production company, Lionsgate TV, received a $4 million grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce in March but returned the funds.
"They just said that they were not going to be filming this calendar year and therefore were decommitting the funds," said Guy Gaster, director of the N.C. Film Office. "I think they still have a very strong interest in being here, but what their timeline is right now is still somewhat up in the air."
On Monday, the Department of Commerce and the North Carolina Film Office reopened the application for the $4 million grant funds, which were allocated for filmmakers as part of the fiscal year 2015 state budget.
Other film companies have the opportunity to apply for the $4 million that Lionsgate would have received in the form of reimbursements. Feature films, TV series and commercials are all eligible for the funds if they meet spending requirements that support economic development in the state.
"We've been talking with all different kinds of productions," Gaster said. "We've certainly had conversations with feature films, some TV tie-ins as well as some commercials."
The application period runs through Aug. 7. Gaster said the Department of Commerce hopes to select a new project for funding within a month of the application deadline, but there's no set timeline for the award.
The $4 million grant award was part of a $10 million pot. The rest of the funds went to productions in Davidson and Wilmington. Gaster said there's no guarantee that a WNC production will receive funding. He said factors such as job creation take precedence over location.
Future funding for film projects in North Carolina remains undetermined as the state legislature continues to discuss the budget for fiscal year 2016.
The "Dirty Dancing" film project was behind schedule from the start. The original application, submitted in January, indicated Lionsgate would begin filming in April. At that time, potential locations included sites in Asheville, Cashiers, Winston-Salem and Greensboro.
But the grant recipients were not announced until late March.
Once the Department of Commerce announced the winners, the production companies had 100 days to use the funds. "Dirty Dancing" requested an extension in May, and the Department of Commerce extended the grant eligibility through Sept. 6.
"As we continue to lock down our creative elements, I'd like to formally request an extension on our grant for an additional two months," wrote John Valentine, senior vice president of television strategy and operations at Lionsgate, in a May 29 email to Mark Poole at the Department of Commerce. "August would be the deadline for us to be on the ground in N.C. rolling cameras in order to complete production before winter."