“Road House” is getting a sequel.
During the Amazon MGM Studios upfronts, a follow-up to the streaming-only remake was announced with Jake Gyllenhaal reprising his lead role of a former UFC fighter turned bouncer.
According to Amazon, “Road House” had nearly 80 million worldwide viewers to-date after premiering on Prime Video March 21. The feature had a record-breaking over 50 million worldwide viewers over its first two weekends, becoming Amazon MGM Studios’ most-watched film debut ever on a worldwide basis.
Yet not all went smoothly with the “Road House” rollout. Director Doug Liman announced that he was boycotting the premiere due to the lack of a theatrical run, and original “Road House” screenwriter R. Lance Hill announced he was planning on suing Amazon for allegedly using AI to complete the remake before the rights to the original film reverted back to him.
“Road House” originally starred late actor Patrick Swayze in the role that Gyllenhaal reimagined. Gyllenhaal reflected on honoring Swayze’s legacy through taking the reins of the remake.
“I’ve been thinking back about my time working with Patrick on ‘Donnie Darko,’ and rewatching this great man in the original ‘Road House’ plus so many other films. I’ve never stopped being a fan,” Gyllenhaal wrote on social media. “He was such a talent and I continue to have so much respect and admiration for what he put out and into the world. I’ll never forget his kindness to me when I was starting out — he didn’t have to take the time, but he always did. We’ve made a different ‘RH’ this time around, but hoping it’s one he would’ve had fun watching!”
The actor also defended Amazon with the streaming only release in an interview with Total Film magazine.
“I adore Doug’s tenacity, and I think he is advocating for filmmakers, and film in the cinema, and theatrical releases. But, I mean, Amazon was always clear that it was streaming,” Gyllenhaal said. “I just want as many people to see it as possible. And I think we’re living in a world that’s changing in how we see and watch movies, and how they’re made. What’s clear to me, and what I loved so much, was [Liman’s] deep love for this movie, and his pride at how much he cares for it, how good he feels it is, and how much people should see it.”
Let’s just hope the follow-up is a better sequel than what the original film spurred.
