Road House: What We Know About The Jake Gyllenhaal-Led Remake

Some of the most iconic ‘80s movies like Red Dawn, The Karate Kid, and Robocop have all received the remake treatment in the past decade or so, but one legendary, and badass action flick, 1989’s Road House, has never been remade. Well, that will soon change with the upcoming reimagining of the Patrick Swayze classic with Jake Gyllenhaal leading things.

If this is the first you are hearing about the Road House remake, or perhaps you read about it but thought it was too good to be true, stick around, because we’re about to break down everything we know about the upcoming reimagining. This includes who will be showing up as part of the stacked cast, what the movie is about, and how its star shocked the world of mixed martial arts when he showed up at a UFC event and made news around the world.

What Is The Road House Release Date?

There is no word on when Amazon Studios and MGM plan to present Road House to the world, as the studio has yet to even announce a release window at this time. Secondly, it has yet to be revealed if the remake of the 1989 action-drama starring the late Patrick Swayze will receive a theatrical release or if it will only be available for Amazon Prime subscribers who currently have access to thousands of  movies streaming on Prime Video. Expect to hear more on both the release date and distribution model in the coming months.

Jake Gyllenhaal And Conor McGregor Lead The Road House Cast

The original cast was filled to the brim with ‘80s stars like Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott, and Keith David, as well as wrestler-turned-actor Terry Funk as one of Brad Wesley’s (Ben Gazzara) numerous henchmen. It hasn’t been revealed if any of the surviving actors from Rowdy Herrington’s action film will show up for the remake, but this new version of Road House has a cast that’s nothing to laugh at.

Back in November 2021, Deadline revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal would be stepping in as the lead, taking on a version of the role made famous by Swayze nearly 35 years ago. A little less than a year later, the outlet also reported that former UFC Champion Conor McGregor would be making his acting debut in the upcoming feature film, though his character’s identity has yet to be revealed.

What's The Best Jake Gyllenhaal Movie?

10 Best Jake Gyllenhaal Movies, Ranked

Other actors set to appear in the Road House remake include The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchior, No Time to Die’s Billy Magnussen, Fast Five’s Joaquim de Almeida, as well as the likes of Darren Barnet, Kevin Carroll, JD Pardo, and various others.

The Road House Remake Centers On A Former UFC Fighter As He Becomes The Bouncer At A Bar In The Florida Keys

The original Road House famously saw Swayze’s James Dalton agree to leave his gig as a “cooler” at a New York City bar to take on a job as the head of security for a Jasper, Missouri bar with a bit of image problem. The remake, however, will leave the “Show Me State” and be set at a similar establishment down in the Florida Keys, according to Variety.

Instead of being a “cooler” with a checkered past, Gyllenhaal’s character in the remake will be a former UFC fighter who somehow manages to get a job at that rowdy Florida roadhouse. How he ends up there will surely be fleshed out in time, but for right now, the idea of a former UFC fighter running security at a raucous dive bar sounds pretty, pretty good.

The Bourne Identity Director Doug Liman Is Helming The Road House Remake

Back in November 2021, when Deadline reported that Gyllenhaal was in talks to star in the Road House remake, it was also revealed that Doug Liman was to direct the upcoming Amazon Studios release. The following August, Empire Online published a statement from Liman, in which he said he was “thrilled” to put his own spin on the property, and that he couldn’t “wait to show audiences” what he and Gyllenhaal had in store for them.

After making a name for himself with ‘90s comedies like Swingers and Go (which featured Academy Award-winning screenwriter Sarah Polley in the lead role), Liman went on to cement his legacy as a great action director with The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Edge of Tomorrow. It doesn’t sound like this film will have any time loops, or highly-trained sleeper agents with spotty memories, but there’s a lot from his past that Liman could bring to the table with his next feature film.

Portions Of Road House Were Shot At A UFC Event Where Jake Gyllenhaal Stepped Into The Octagon

The mixed martial arts community had a lot more eyes on it in early March 2023, when Jake Gyllenhaal made a couple of appearances in the lead-up and during UFC 285 in Las Vegas to film scenes for the upcoming movie. The first took place the day before the event when the actor, in character, took part in a weigh-in, as seen in a video shared by the official ESPN MMA Twitter account.

The following day, he was spotted in another video by the ESPN MMA account, only this time he was in the octagon taking on an opponent who will presumably show up early in the movie. Both videos show Gyllenhaal in incredible shape.

MGM Has Been Attempting A Road House Remake For A Decade

By the time the movie eventually comes out, it will be the end of a decade-long saga to remake the 1989 classic, as MGM started working on the proposed reboot long before the studio was acquired by Amazon for a large stack of cash in 2022. The project has been in the works since 2013 when, according to The Wrap, The Fast and the Furious and xXx director Rob Cohen was attached to direct.

At one point in the movie’s development process, Ronda Rousey was going to star in the lead role, but those talks eventually fizzled out and the movie sat on a shelf for a number of years before the current iteration began picking up steam. Though Rousey would go on to find tremendous success with WWE following the end of her UFC career, it’s a shame that the ass kicker, who is obsessed with Road House, never got her shot.

There is still a lot we don’t yet know about this movie, but expect to hear more in the coming weeks and months. While we wait, now would be a good time to check out the 2023 movie schedule to see what is coming to theaters this year.