It’s pretty weird to think that Patrick Swayze’s been dead for over 12 years now. The dude was an icon of ’80s and ’90s cinema and, moreover, popular culture at large, and it’s really interesting to consider what the back half of his career might have been like if he’d been fortunate to see the career revivals given to guys like Robert Downey Jr. or a number of other actors from the same era. But he still lives on, with brilliantly goofy movies of his like Road House still making the rounds on late-night cable, just waiting for a pair of insomniac (or deeply stoned) eyes to stun. However, we believe it was Descartes who said “IP exists, therefore it must be remade,” so this report that Deadline dropped on Wednesday afternoon shouldn’t be too surprising to anyone with some sense.
According to them, MGM is interested in making a Road House-related project, with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role (insert Donnie Darko joke here) and Edge of Tomorrow filmmaker Doug Liman as director. This isn’t a particularly bad pairing — if any person could pull off the kind of laconic oddity that is Dalton, Swayze’s character in that film, it would be Gyllenhaal — but it still is kind of weird to read about nevertheless.
Here’s how Deadline summarizes the project’s path to the screen, while also doing some hype-man shit for the talent potentially involved in the project:
“MGM has been playing around with how to reboot the IP for a while, including an idea of having Ronda Rousey in the lead role; that plan was ultimately shelved. As for this reboot, its unknown whether it’s a straight remake or a modern take on the material, and its also unknown if Gyllenhaal will be playing the role of Dalton or play a completely new character in that world. Given Liman’s track record of high-speed thrills and action, along with his innovative style with rich and interesting stories, audiences can expect that same fun that the original delivered on. As for Gyllenhaal, the role gives him another fun, physical role to dig his teeth into after recently working with directors like Michael Bay and [Guy] Ritchie, both of whom, like Liman, are known for bringing the fireworks to their projects.”
We have three thoughts. First, that Ronda Rousey remake was D.O.A., and good for them for nipping that one in the bud before it could blossom. Two, this pairing is pretty exciting, though we doubt if this will have any effect on overcoming remake-or-reboot disinterest. Peak IP will come, if not now, within the next decade (or at least we’re hoping so). Three, if it is a legacyquel, they should go ahead and write Sam Elliott a check. They will need him.
No word on when this Road House project will get off the ground — both star and director have a heaping helping of projects on their plate at the moment — but we are excited for Bill Murray and his brother to have another target for late-night prank calls.