MGM's Road House remake has been in the works for a little while now, with director Rob Cohen last attached to helm, but that was back in late 2013. Today, it's looking like the re-imagined action film will see Nick Cassavetes on board as writer and director. The deal comes soon after UFC champion Ronda Rousey was attached to star in the role made famous by Patrick Swayze in the 1989 original; she'll also be a producer on the remake.
Variety reports that Cassavetes has closed a deal with MGM to write and direct Road House, a new take on Rowdy Herrington's film that saw Swayze's character Dalton put his impressive fighting skills to work as a bouncer at a small-town bar. He soon runs afoul of the town's corrupt businessman who has a legion of henchmen at his beck and call to make trouble for Dalton and his friends.
Though Cassavetes has experience with dramas led by men, such as John Q and Alpha Dog, the report claims that it was his experience writing strong female roles for such films as The Notebook and My Sister's Keeper that had MGM interested in closing the deal. Rousey, whose nickname is "Rowdy" coincidentally, is currently training for her championship fight against Holly Holm this November. When the fight is over, Rousey is expected to immediately begin prepping for a first-quarter 2016 shoot since MGM is fast-tracking the production.
While Road House is her biggest role to date, she also has her biopic My Fight/Your Fight at Paramount, Warner Bros.' The Athena Project, and the STX action pic Mile 22, directed by Peter Berg. A remake of the cult hit is not the only project MGM is looking to mine in order to reinvigorate their base; there's also the Rocky spin-off film Creed which stars Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, and opens this November 25th.
