MGM's reboot of Road House is once again gaining momentum, with Jake Gyllenhaal in talks to star and Doug Liman in talks to direct. The report comes from Deadline, where sources have revealed that the reboot project has a high priority for executives over at MGM, who have been having meetings with writers to rewrite a previous draft of the film.
The original film was released in 1989 and was directed by Rowdy Herrington. The film follows James Dalton (Patrick Swayze), a bouncer for a roadside bar in a small town in Missouri who must protect the town from a corrupt businessman. The film has garnered a cult following and is considered a fan-favorite performance from the late Swayze among fans. It also spawned a less-than-successful direct-to-video sequel in 2006, Road House 2, starring Johnathon Schaech as the son of Swayze's character.
Reports of plans by MGM to reboot the 1989 film date back to 2015, which saw Ronda Rousey set to star and The Notebook's Nick Cassavetes eyed to direct. This version of the film was quietly canceled in 2016 after plans fell through.
With the reports of Gyllenhaal and Liman set to be attached to the project, it is still unknown whether this reboot will be a retelling of the original film or if it will be its own modern take on the property. Gyllenhaal recently starred in Netflix's The Guilty, which debuted on the streaming service on October 1 and will be part of Guy Richie's upcoming action film The Interpreter and Michael Bay's Ambulance. Liman is developing a currently untitled space movie with Tom Cruise which will be the first major studio film to be shot in space.
The Road House reboot currently does not have a start date for production on the project.