Jake Gyllenhaal’s remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film, Road House, is about to premiere at the SXSW film festival. In a controversial turn of events, director Doug Liman will not attend the film’s premiere at the festival. Liman’s absence will be a silent protest against Amazon’s decision to stream the film on their platform exclusively. The director revealed he was promised a big screen release when he signed up for the film.
The original 1989 film explores Swayze’s James Dalton, a bouncer, hired to protect a newly refurbished bar in one of the problematic towns. The movie was panned by the critics, but audiences found it fun to watch, especially after its release in the home media.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House Director Speaks Out Against Amazon
In a Deadline article, director Doug Liman called out Amazon’s decision to deny his film, Road House, a theatrical release. Liman is famously known for directing films like Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Edge of Tomorrow. He’s also set to team up with Tom Cruise once again for an upcoming space movie. However, he’s not happy with the state of his latest collaboration with Jake Gyllenhaal.
Liman revealed that when Amazon bought MGM, one of the biggest studios making big-budget commercial films, their announced goal was “the largest commitment to cinemas by an internet company.” Liman signed up for the film with MGM before the Amazon deal, and he was promised a theatrical release. When Amazon came into the picture, they also promised Liman, “Make a great film and we will see what happens.”
Liman shared that Amazon’s verdict for his final product was a “smash hit.” He added that the film had a higher test score than his biggest box office hit, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. It was also higher than Bourne Identity, which went on to become a major franchise. The film’s ties to the UFC and the movie debut of UFC star Conor McGregor boosted the marketing of the film. But Liman stated that none of this was enough to convince Amazon for a theatrical release.
Liman accused Amazon of betraying his trust. He added that the streaming platform was also betraying the trust of the film community, as they had promised to support cinema. Liman wrote in his Deadline article:
“Amazon asked me and the film community to trust them and their public statements about supporting cinemas, and then they turned around and are using Road House to sell plumbing fixtures.”
Liman further went on to explain the impact of this move on Jake Gyllenhaal, who will be snubbed of a deserved recognition in the awards season. He also added that the financial motives of the studio would be detrimental to the future of the film business.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House Was Initially Intended To Help Revive MGM
Road House was one of the planned projects on the slate of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios after they emerged from bankruptcy in the early 2010s. The plan was to ride on the success of the original film, which was running successfully in the home media years later. However, the initial plan was to gender-swap Patrick Swayze‘s character and cast UFC fighter Ronda Rousey in the lead role.
Rousey reportedly reached out to Swayze’s widow, Lisa Niemi, for blessings before preparing for the role. Variety reported that The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes was attached to write and direct the film. However, sources later suggested that the Ronda Rousey-led plans for the film were dropped by the studio.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Doug Liman joined the project in 2021, according to Variety. The official greenlight for the film came only after Amazon’s acquisition of MGM Studios. Gyllenhaal’s Road House is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on March 21, 2024, while Swayze’s film is now available for streaming on Max.
