"Ritchie to Helm Road House Sequel Starring Gyllenhaal"

Guy Ritchie is set to direct the sequel to Amazon MGM's 2024 remake of Road House, according to Variety. The upcoming film will see Jake Gyllenhaal reprising his role as Elwood Dalton, the ex-UFC fighter turned bouncer. A sequel featuring Gyllenhaal was confirmed in May last year, shortly after the successful March 2024 release of the remake. Road House garnered over 50 million views in its first two weekends on Prime, marking it as Amazon MGM Studios' most-watched produced film debut globally at the time.

The 2024 Road House was directed by Doug Liman, known for films like The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, and Swingers. However, Liman seemed unlikely to return for the sequel after voicing his disapproval of the film's streaming release. He stated, "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 made it clear from the start that Road House was intended for streaming.

Road House 2 will be the third collaboration between Guy Ritchie and Jake Gyllenhaal, and their second project with Amazon MGM following the well-received 2023 war film Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. They are also teaming up for the upcoming action thriller In the Grey, which also stars Henry Cavill, though it currently has no set release date.

Details about Road House 2 are limited, 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 remains in high demand, having directed multiple episodes of the newly launched Paramount+ series MobLand, starring Tom Hardy. Additionally, his next film, Fountain of Youth, is scheduled to premiere on Apple TV+ later this month.