It’s been nearly seven years since news broke that Ronda Rousey would star in a remake of the 1989 cult classic “Road House.”
At the time, Rousey was the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion and one of the biggest sports stars in the world. She had three acting roles under her belt – “The Expendables 3,” “Furious 7” and “Entourage” – and appeared to be on the cusp of crossover stardom from sports to Hollywood.
Rousey was going to play a female version of the character played by Patrick Swayze in the original film, but somewhere along the line it appears her attachment to the picture died on the vine. The movie as a whole, however, did not.
And now, according to Deadline, the reboot has been green lit for Amazon Prime Video and will star Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal – and former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor is on board for a role, as well.
McGregor spokeswoman Karen Kessler released a statement to MMA Junkie that confirmed the crossover star’s involvement.
“Conor McGregor is very excited to expand his storied career to Hollywood and join with Jake Gyllenhaal in this reimagining of ‘Road House,’ a beloved classic,” Kessler stated. “While fighting remains his top focus, this is the beginning of another successful venture in the McGregor empire. He is eager to get started filming.”
Gyllenhaal will play “a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a rough-and-tumble roadhouse in the Florida Keys, but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise.”
Deadline’s report said McGregor will not star as himself in the movie directed by Doug Liman, whose credits include standout action films like “The Bourne Identity” with Matt Damond, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and “Edge of Tomorrow” and “American Made” with Tom Cruise.
The remake reportedly will shoot in the Dominican Republic, which will double for the Florida Keys. The 1989 Swayze version was set in Missouri.
Gyllenhaal and Liman have been attached to the “Road House” remake since late 2021. Gyllenhaal was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for “Brokeback Mountain.” He picked up awards buzz in 2014 for “Nightcrawler,” and in 2015 played a boxer in “Southpaw” opposite Forest Whittaker and Rachel McAdams.
McGregor has yet to make the leap to the big screen. He reportedly was set for a part in “XxX: The Return of Xander Cage,” but backed out after he lost to Nate Diaz in March 2016. The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion has just one win in the past nearly six years – a January 2020 TKO of Donald Cerrone.
McGregor lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018 and was involved in a post-fight melee that got both fighters suspended. And in 2021, he lost back-to-back fights to Dustin Poirier by TKO. In the second, he broke his leg and has yet to have a return announced – though he’s been in the media plenty even without fighting.
As for Rousey, it never was reported that she was out of the “Road House” remake officially, but that is presumed to be the case. After she left MMA, Rousey started a family with husband Travis Browne and now is on the WWE roster.
No release date has been announced, but Deadline’s report said it will stream on Amazon Prime in more than 240 countries when released.
