Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor are set to star in a remake of the classic ‘80s action film – here’s everything you need to know about it.

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal stole the show at UFC 285 when the actor appeared ripped, mean, and in-character to film scenes for Road House, the upcoming remake of the 1989 cult hit that starred Patrick Swayze.

Although the original Road House was modestly successful at the box office, the film was a hit with its home entertainment release, first beginning with strong VHS sales, and then with DVD and Blu-ray.

Road House also found an audience when released on cable and later streaming. The film turned lead actor Patrick Swayze into an action star and has embedded itself in pop culture with Swayze’s memorable performance and the film’s numerous corny-yet-cool lines a fixture in the lexicon of those who love ‘80s action movies.

Road House is now being remade for Amazon Prime Video, with Hollywood’s Jake Gyllenhaal starring in the lead role and UFC superstar Conor McGregor also cast in a pivotal role. This is not the first time, however, that Road House has been marked for a remake – and those of you familiar with the original might be wondering what UFC’s got to do with all of it…

Road House remake cast

The Road House remake will star Jake Gyllenhaal and UFC fighter Conor McGregor in the leading roles.

Daniela Melchior (Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, The Suicide Squad), Jessica Williams (Shrinking, Fantastic Beasts) and Lukas Cage (Euphoria, The White Lotus) also join the cast as Ellie, Frankie and Billy, respectively.

In newly released posters for Road House, global best-selling artist Austin Post, better known by his stage name, Post Malone, will continue his acting career in the 2024 film, as Carter.

Road House Jake Gyllenhaal

In 2017, it was announced that the Road House remake was back on and that Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal would take on the role of Dalton. Ironically, Gyllenhaal’s breakthrough performance in the sci-fi mystery Donnie Darko also starred Swayze in one of his final film roles, an experience that Gyllenhaal referenced when he talked about the Road House remake on Good Morning America.

“They’re big shoes to fill, but Patrick was a friend when he was here,” Gyllenhaal said. “We made a movie when I was pretty young called Donnie Darko together. He was always so loving and lovely to me.”

“I take that all to heart in playing the role and there are some things I take from him, but generally we made a whole new movie and I’m really excited about it.”

Jake Gyllenhaal

In the Road House remake, Gyllenhaal will play the role of Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer in the Florida Keys. Soon, however, Dalton discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise.

Road House Conor McGregor

Also starring in the Road House remake is former UFC champion Conor McGregor, who many believe will play a bad guy or evil henchman in the movie. Behind-the-scenes images of McGregor and Gyllenhaal on the film’s Dominican Republic set were posted on Twitter in January of this year.

The Road House remake will mark McGregor’s first foray into feature films, with the larger-than-life Irish MMA fighter arguably a perfect fit for Hollywood. McGregor’s apparently getting paid a pretty penny for his appearance, with ‘The Notorious’ bragging on social media: “I’m the highest-paid first-time actor of all time… Add that to the rest of all my accolades.”

Directing the Road House reboot is Doug Liman, who previously helmed The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow, while the likes of Daniela Melchoir (The Suicide Squad), Billy Magnussen (Game Night) and Beau Knapp (Southpaw) co-star in the film.

Road House Post Malone

Post Malone took to the stage in front of the full-capacity 60,000 crowd to deliver an incredible performance of “America the Beautiful” at this year’s Super Bowl LVIII. Moments later, his role in the upcoming remake of Road House as Carter was revealed in the latest promotional material.

Details surrounding his role have still been kept under wraps, but if the poster’s anything to go by, Posty will be in the middle of the bloody action.

RELATED: Jake Gyllenhaal & Post Malone Reveal Stunning Body Transformations For New Project

Check out the Road House promotional posters below.

Watch the Road House trailer below.

Ronda Rousey was originally going to play Dalton in the remake

After an ill-advised and universally panned sequel titled Road House 2 – starring Johnathon Schaech as Dalton’s son – was released in 2006, plans for a Road House remake had been in development hell for almost a decade.

Reports of a Road House remake first surfaced in 2013, with Fast and Furious director Rob Cohen tapped to direct the film. Two years later, it was reported that former UFC star Ronda Rousey had signed on to play the lead role, with The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes on board to write and direct. Sources said at the time that Rousey reached out to Swayze’s widow, Lisa Niemi, to ask for her blessing to play the iconic Swayze character, which Niemi gave.

One person who was not impressed with the casting of Rousey was hardcore wrestling legend and original Road House cast member Terry Funk, who said it was “bulls**t” and that Rousey “don’t belong in there!”

During press for her 2015 title challenge against Holly Holm at UFC 193, Rousey responded to her casting in the Road House remake by saying: “It’s a lot of pressure. This is not something that I took; it’s something that I pursued. For like two years it was ‘I want to do Road House!’”

“There is a lot of pressure because it is such a beloved movie and a classic and everybody loves it, but that’s one reason why I wanted to do it so much because I don’t think anybody cares as much as I do about it and want to do a good job as much as I do.”

Ronda Rousey

It was during this time that Rousey began her film career with performances in The Expendables 3, the Entourage film, and Fast & Furious 7. Rousey would also lose her UFC title to Holm at UFC 193. Whether coincidence or not, Rousey’s role in Road House, and her acting career as a whole, died on the vine very much like her fighting career. The Road House remake, however, will live to fight another round.

Road House Release Date Australia

The Road House remake is being released by Amazon MGM Studios and will be available to stream on 21 March 2024.

What was the original Road House about?

Road House starred Patrick Swayze as Dalton, a renowned “cooler” (i.e. bouncer) with a mysterious past who is hired to take over security at a club in Jasper, Missouri named the Double Deuce – the kind of place where “there’s blood on the floor every night”.

Dalton quickly makes his presence known as an incorruptible and dangerous force able to stand toe-to-toe with any man placed in front of him. This leads Dalton to be the target of Brad Weasley (Ben Gazzara) the local crime boss and business magnate who will stop at nothing to run Dalton out of town.

An ’80s action Western with plenty of martial arts fight scenes and gratuitous nudity, Road House has become a guilty pleasure cult classic since its initial theatrical release.

Road House gained fans of action cinema in love with the violently cheesy action scenes, ranging from bar-room brawls to mano-a-mano martial arts fight sequences, as well as the ever-quotable dialogue such as “Pain don’t hurt” and “I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice.”