Variety reports that Guy Ritchie is set to direct the sequel to Amazon MGM's 2024 "Road House" remake, with Jake Gyllenhaal reprising his role as ex-UFC fighter-turned-bouncer Elwood Dalton.
Amazon MGM confirmed plans for a Gyllenhaal-led sequel back in May 2023, shortly after the successful March 2024 premiere of the remake. The film garnered over 50 million views during its first two weekends on Prime Video, becoming Amazon MGM Studios' most-watched original film debut globally at the time.
While Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity," "Edge of Tomorrow") directed the 2024 version, creative differences emerged when he publicly criticized Amazon's streaming-only release strategy.
"We made 'Road House' as a theatrical release – everyone was contracted and compensated accordingly," Liman stated. "When Amazon pivoted to streaming without adjusting compensation, it affected everyone involved. Forget industry impact – with 50 million viewers, neither I nor Jake Gyllenhaal nor Joel Silver saw proper residuals. That's fundamentally unfair."
Gyllenhaal maintains Amazon had always positioned "Road House" as a streaming project.
The upcoming sequel marks Ritchie and Gyllenhaal's third collaboration following 2023's war drama "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant" and the upcoming action thriller "In the Grey" co-starring Henry Cavill.
While plot details remain under wraps, screenwriter Will Beall ("Gangster Squad," "Bad Boys: Ride or Die") is penning the script.
Never one to slow down, Ritchie recently directed episodes of Paramount+'s new series "MobLand" starring Tom Hardy, with his next feature film "Fountain of Youth" arriving on Apple TV+ later this month.
