Amazon MGM Studios will have to find a new director for Road House 2, as Guy Ritchie has reportedly dropped out of the project. No reason has been given for the exit, but the studio still plans on kicking off production this fall, so the search for a new director is underway.
After it was clear that Doug Liman wouldn’t return to direct the sequel, Amazon MGM Studios entered talks with Ritchie three months ago. He seemed like he would be a good fit for the franchise, and might even have been able to right a few of the wrongs fans had with the previous outing. Alas, it’s not to be.
The Road House remake was a massive hit for Prime Video, attracting over 50 million global viewers in its first two weeks of release. Despite the mixed reviews, getting the ball rolling on a sequel was a no-brainer. Liman was particularly vocal about his battles with Amazon over the company’s choice not to release the film in theaters.
“My issue on Road House is that we made the movie for MGM to be in theaters, everyone was paid as if it was going to be in theaters, and then Amazon switched it on us and nobody got compensated,” Liman explained. “Forget about the effect on the industry — 50 million people saw Road House — I didn’t get a cent, Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t get a cent, [producer] Joel Silver didn’t get a cent. That’s wrong.“
Jake Gyllenhaal will be returning as ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton, and we heard last month that Dave Bautista may be joining him, although no official talks had occurred at that point. The sequel has been scripted by Will Beall (Bad Boys: Ride or Die)
Ritchie’s most recent project was Fountain of Youth, which stars John Krasinski and Natalie Portman as “two estranged siblings who partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an epic adventure that will change their lives … and possibly lead to immortality.”
Who do you think should replace Guy Ritchie as the director of Road House 2?
