"Ritchie Directs Gyllenhaal in Road House Sequel"

Guy Ritchie is set to helm the sequel to Amazon MGM's 2024 remake of Road House, according to Variety. Jake Gyllenhaal will reprise his role as Elwood Dalton, the ex-UFC fighter turned bouncer. The sequel was confirmed in May of the previous year, shortly after the original film's successful debut in March 2024, which garnered over 50 million views in its first two weekends on Prime. This made it the most-watched produced film debut on a global scale for Amazon MGM Studios at that time.

The 2024 Road House was directed by Doug Liman, known for films like The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, and Swingers. However, Liman expressed dissatisfaction with the film's streaming-only release, stating, "My issue on Road House is that we made the movie for MGM to be in theaters, everyone was paid as if it was going to be in theaters, and then Amazon switched it on us and nobody got compensated. Forget about the effect on the industry — 50 million people saw Road House — I didn’t get a cent, Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t get a cent, [producer] Joel Silver didn’t get a cent. That’s wrong." In contrast, Gyllenhaal mentioned that Amazon had been upfront about the film's streaming destination.

Road House 2 will be the third collaboration between Ritchie and Gyllenhaal, following their work on the 2023 war film, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, which was well-received despite its awkward title. They are also set to work together on the upcoming action thriller, In the Grey, which also stars Henry Cavill, though it currently has no release date.

Details on Road House 2 remain sparse, but the screenplay is being penned by Will Beall, known for his work on Gangster Squad, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

Guy Ritchie continues to be in high demand, having recently directed multiple episodes of the new Paramount+ series MobLand, starring Tom Hardy. His next project, Fountain of Youth, is slated to premiere on Apple TV+ later this month.