Jake Gyllenhaal's Road House Reboot Just Hit A Major Production Milestone
The Patrick Swayze-starring "Road House" has become a bona fide cult classic since its release in 1989 and a remake has been in the works for a while now. Former UFC fighter Ronda Rousey was set as the star of a new version when MGM announced a remake in 2015, via Variety. Since then, the project has gone through some retooling, and now Jake Gyllenhaal has taken on the lead role with director Doug Liman stepping behind the camera. Original producer Joel Silver is also returning. With a script by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry, the newest "Road House" is being produced by Amazon Studios and it is described as a reimagining of the original.
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Joel, Doug, and this great cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, and for them to come together to reimagine the classic MGM film as an action-packed adventure for our global audience," Amazon Studios' Jennifer Salke told Variety.
For anyone who thought Gyllenhaal's remake may go the way of Rousey's, there is good news. The production just crossed a major milestone, meaning we're likely to be seeing Gyllenhaal as a bouncer keeping the rough and rowdy in line sometime soon.
Road House has begun filming
The Prime Video Twitter account teamed up with the official MGM account to post an image of Jake Gyllenhaal and Doug Liman from the set of "Road House," revealing that filming is officially underway.
"Day 1. Road House," the accounts posted along with the photo of the smiling star and director, both of whom have plenty of experience in the action genre. Gyllenhaal is fresh off of Michael Bay's "Ambulance" and Liman has delivered massive hits in the past like "The Bourne Identity" and "Edge of Tomorrow."
This is actually not the first time "Road House" has gotten an update since 1989. In 2006, a barely-related sequel was released to the home video market. According to an interview with screenwriter Miles Chapman on "Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast with Adam Ferrari," the sequel was hampered by its low budget and ultra-quick shooting schedule.
"Road House: Last Call" didn't exactly capture the cultural consciousness like the original did, but with Gyllenhaal and Liman at the helm and Amazon Studios behind them for this new project, perhaps the reimagining can actually manage to reignite the spark that has kept "Road House" so beloved for all these years.