UFC Superstar and former double-champ Conor McGregor is set for yet another massive payday with what will be, the sports star’s first motion picture role in Doug Liman’s Road House.
Set to star alongside Hollywood heartthrob Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor will make his feature film debut in his first ever major motion picture. As details have been kept firmly under wraps, Karen J. Kessler, a spokesperson for McGregor. Confirmed yesterday, that the feature project will be a modern re-imagining of Patrick Swayze’s 80’s cult classic, Road House (1989).
The modern re-modelling of the script is said to be written by Charles Monday and Anthony Bagarozzi with the Action Powerhouse director, Doug Liman, taking the helm. This will certainly not be the first or last time, Liman has found himself managing big talent on set with the director previously having worked with Hollywood icons, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon. Saying that he will certainly have a new challenge on his plate, in getting the best performance from the former UFC champion.
Whilst McGregor can effortlessly come across as the UFC bad guy in press conferences, does he have the knack to do so on the big screen? More so, in a convincing nontheatrical manner.
Swayze’s original 1989 release, which was penned by David Lee Henry, told the story of a prolific American bouncer who embarks on a new challenge, in restoring law and order at a notorious bar on the outskirts of town. In doing so, Swayze’s John Dalton finds himself crossing paths with a merciless mafia boss.
Monday and Bagarozzi’s adaptation is set to spice things up a little, with the story focused on a former UFC Superstar, played by Gyllenhaal who lands a job as a bouncer at a rough and ready bar on the outskirts of the Florida Keys. With Gyllenhaal’s character soon discovering, that all is not as it seems, with trouble brewing deep in Paradise.
McGregor and Gyllenhaal currently lead the cast, with Billy Magnussen, Lukas Gage, Travis Van Winkle, Arturo Castro, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Hannah Love Lanier, B.K Cannon and Dominique Columbus also being confirmed.
With news of Liman’s Road House only breaking ground this week. Plans for the reboot were actually first reported back in early 2021. After circulating through the pre-production stages, the project had since been picked up and developed by the Californian-based Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM. With The Nice Guys (2016) writers, Monday and Bagarozzi finalising the script. Since then, Amazon has closed an $8.5 billion deal back in March 2022, now owning MGM.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter this week, Director Doug Liman shared how he is “Thrilled to put my own spin on the beloved Road House legacy. And can’t wait to show audiences what Jake and I are going to do with this iconic role.”
Liman’s Road House is scheduled to begin filming later this month, with shooting set to commence in the Dominican Republic.
There are no further details at this point, however, a spokesperson from the film’s production company has described the latest creative endeavour as a “Home run. Not only is it a nod to fans of the original, but it is also a big, fun, broad audience movie.”