Jake Gyllenhaal is not bouncing from Amazon MGM Studios after “Road House.” The actor’s Nine Stories production company has closed a three-year first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios. The arrangement gives Amazon the right of first-refusal on narrative features by Nine Stories; it applies to both theatrical and streaming. It sounds exactly like the deal Amazon just signed Ryan Gosling to all of six days ago.
But this story is about Gyllenhaal. The actor presently stars in the Prime Video-exclusive “Road House” reboot, which Amazon says has drawn more than 50 million viewers worldwide over its first two weekends, Amazon said on Monday. It’s a Prime Video record.
The road to getting “Road House” on streaming was a bumpy one. Director Doug Liman says when Amazon purchased MGM, his film was quietly slated for streaming against his wishes. Liman originally planned to boycott his film’s SXSW premiere, but later changed his mind. Gyllenhaal has said this “Road House” was always going to be a streaming exclusive. Perhaps Amazon rewards loyalty as much as talent.
Gyllenhaal founded Nine Stories in 2015 with Riva Marker, who has since moved on to Linden Entertainment. The production house recently produced Antoine Fuqua’s “The Guilty,” starring Gyllenhaal, which performed well on Netflix. Nine Stories has also produced Paul Dano’s directorial debut “Wildlife,” David Gordon Green’s “Stronger” (which also starred Gyllenhaal), Antonio Campos’ “The Devil All the Time,” and other films.
“Jake is a one-of-a-kind talent whose passion and eye for filmmaking makes him a powerful storyteller both in front of the camera and behind the scenes,” said Julie Rapaport, head of film production and development at Amazon MGM Studios, in an official statement. “Following the record-breaking success of ‘Road House,’ we could not imagine a better time to officially cement our relationship. Jake has been an incredible partner, and we look forward to collaborating with him and the Nine Stories team to create needle-moving and compelling films from visionary filmmakers.”
“I’ve worked with Amazon MGM on two films this past year, and they’ve been a wonderful partner both times,” said Gyllenhaal. “Their dedication to filmmaking is contagious, and I so admire their commitment to fans all over the world. I am thrilled to formalize what is an already fruitful collaboration — especially on the heels of ‘Road House’s’ outstanding debut.”
