Variety reports that Guy Ritchie is set to direct the sequel to Amazon MGM’s 2024 Road House remake. The film will once again star Jake Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter now working as a bouncer.
Amazon officially confirmed plans for a sequel starring Gyllenhaal back in May of last year. The announcement followed shortly after the remake’s successful March 2024 launch, which broke records as Amazon MGM Studios’ most-watched original film debut globally, drawing more than 50 million views during its first two weekends on Prime Video.
Doug Liman, who directed The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, and Swingers, helmed the 2024 version of Road House. However, Liman quickly signaled he would likely not return for the sequel after publicly criticizing the decision to release the film on a streaming platform.
“My problem with Road House is that we made it for MGM as a theatrical release. Everyone was paid under that assumption, but Amazon changed course and no one received additional compensation,” Liman explained at the time. “Beyond how this affects the industry—50 million people watched Road House—I didn't earn a penny, Jake Gyllenhaal didn't earn a penny, and producer Joel Silver didn't earn a penny. That’s not right.”
By contrast, Gyllenhaal has stated that Amazon was always clear about releasing Road House on its streaming service.
Road House 2 will be the third collaboration between Ritchie and Gyllenhaal, and their second project for Amazon MGM following the well-regarded 2023 war film Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant. They have also completed work on the upcoming action thriller In the Grey, which co-stars Henry Cavill, though no release date has been announced yet.
More information about Road House 2 remains limited, though screenwriter Will Beall—known for Gangster Squad, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F—is penning the script.
Guy Ritchie is keeping busy. In addition to directing several episodes of the recently released Paramount+ series MobLand, featuring Tom Hardy, his next film, Fountain of Youth, is set to premiere on Apple TV+ later this month.
