MOVIE NEWS – Jake Gyllenhaal’s reboot of the 80s cult classic Road House became a surprise streaming juggernaut for Amazon last year, and now the studio has brought in action maestro Guy Ritchie to direct the highly anticipated sequel. The script comes from Will Beall, known for Bad Boys: Ride or Die and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

Road House 2 is officially on the way. Deadline confirms that Guy Ritchie is reuniting with Jake Gyllenhaal after their critically acclaimed collaboration on Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant. Ritchie is stepping into the director’s chair, replacing Doug Liman, who helmed the first installment but clashed with Amazon over their decision to skip theaters and release the film directly on Prime Video. Plot details are still tightly under wraps, and it’s unclear whether the sequel will also be a streaming exclusive or hit the big screen.

The first film, which premiered in 2023, cast Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. What seems like paradise soon turns dangerous, revealing an underworld filled with violence and corruption. The ensemble included Conor McGregor, Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Lukas Gage, Hannah Love Lanier, Travis Van Winkle, B.K. Cannon, Arturo Castro, Dominique Columbus, Beau Knapp, and Bob Menery.

Despite a lukewarm reception from critics (60% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a mixed audience score (52% on the Popcornmeter), Road House smashed Prime Video records, pulling in over 50 million global viewers in its first two weekends. Amazon has since called it the most-watched debut of any original film produced by the platform.

Guy Ritchie’s recent projects include the Apple TV+ adventure film Fountain of Youth and the Tom Hardy-led series MobLand for Paramount+. His creative partnership with Gyllenhaal continues with the upcoming action thriller In the Grey, which will also star Henry Cavill and Eiza González. The story follows two elite extraction operatives tasked with rescuing a female negotiator from a perilous mission gone wrong.

Source: Deadline