Jake Gyllenhaal is recruiting a recent collaborator to direct Road House 2.
Per Puck’s Matt Belloni, Guy Ritchie is in talks to direct the Road House sequel for Amazon MGM Studios. Gyllenhaal will return to star. Will Beall, who co-wrote Bad Boys: Ride or Die and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, will pen Road House 2.
Ritchie is best known for his work in crime comedies, like Snatch, RocknRolla, The Gentlemen, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Ritchie has experience working with famous IP, including the Sherlock Holmes franchise and Aladdin, Disney’s 2019 live-action movie that grossed over $1 billion worldwide.
If a deal is reached, the Road House sequel marks another collaboration between Ritchie and Gyllenhaal, who worked together on 2023’s The Covenant and In the Grey, which is in post-production.
After a few years of inactivity, Ritchie’s slate of movies and TV shows continues to grow. MobLand, a Ritchie-produced show, is currently airing on Paramount+, while Fountain of Youth streams next month on Apple TV+. Additionally, The Gentleman season 2 begins production this spring, and Wife & Dog is currently filming.
Directed by Doug Liman, Road House followed Elwood Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter hired to bounce at a Florida Keys roadhouse. Besides Gyllenhaal, Road House starred Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, JD Pardo, Austin Post, and Conor McGregor. Liman’s movie is a remake of 1989’s Road House, with the late Patrick Swayze as James Dalton.
Released in March 2024, Road House became a massive hit on streaming, attracting over 50 million worldwide viewers on Prime Video and becoming the studio’s most-watched produced film debut ever worldwide.
Despite the film’s success, Liman publicly called out Amazon for refusing to put the movie in theaters. Liman wrote an open letter to Deadline, expressing his frustration with the direct-to-streaming approach. Liman initially planned to boycott the film’s 2024 SXSW premiere but changed his mind and ultimately attended.
Due to Liman’s anger toward Amazon, it’s easy to see why the studio pivoted to finding another director like Ritchie.