Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House 2 Tease Totally Ignores The Premise Of The Original Swayze Movie

Road House 2 is officially happening with Jake Gyllenhaal reprising his role as bouncer Elwood Dalton, but his most recent tease about the sequel is ignoring the premise of the original movie starring Patrick Swayze. The trend of remakes in the film industry is still going strong, and among the most recent additions is the 1989 action movie Road House, directed by Rowdy Herrington and starring Patrick Swayze as professional but deadly bouncer James Dalton. The Road House remake was directed by Doug Liman, and it made various changes to the original movie for it to fit the present day.

Gyllenhaal’s Dalton was a former UFC middleweight fighter, but just like Swayze’s version, Gyllenhaal’s Dalton took a job as a bouncer at a road house in a town that seemed to be peaceful but was far from it. Dalton soon discovered that Glass Key was run by crime boss Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen), who wanted to take over the Road House. However, it wasn’t until psychotic enforcer Knox (Conor McGregor) arrived that Dalton realized he and the community were in great danger. Road House 2 will bring Dalton back, and Gyllenhaal’s tease, while exciting, goes against the premise of the original movie.

Jake Gyllenhaal Teasing A “Bigger” Road House 2 Goes Against The Original Movie’s Premise

Swayze’s Road House Was More Contained

Road House broke viewing records on Prime Video, which was key to the sequel being greenlit, so there’s, understandably, a lot of anticipation and expectation around Road House 2. Although no plot details have been revealed yet and Conor McGregor’s return hasn’t been confirmed, Gyllenhaal is already talking about what the audience can expect from Road House 2. Speaking to TVLine in June 2024, Gyllenhaal gave a small tease of what’s to come in Road House 2, sharing that he’s excited about “world building” within this universe and that the sequel will be “expansive”.

Gyllenhaal added that Road House 2 will be bigger, but didn’t share any specific details about it. As exciting as an “expansive” sequel sounds, it actually goes against the premise of Swayze’s movie. The original Road House is about one town and one bar, a premise that the remake respected, but going “bigger” in the sequel sounds like it would be missing this point. Exactly how Road House 2 will go bigger is unknown, as it could see more than one bar, more deadly bouncers, or Dalton not staying in just one place, but either way, it’s leaving the contained style of the original movie behind.

Going “Bigger” Is The Only Way To Justify Road House Getting A Sequel

2024’s Road House Was Already Big

Despite a “bigger” Road House ignoring the premise of Swayze’s movie, the sequel being “expansive” is really the only way to justify it. Road House was already big in terms of production and action scenes, and there can only be a sequel if it goes beyond that. A “bigger” and “expansive” Road House might not necessarily mean more bars or bouncers, and Gyllenhaal could have meant it in a more literal way. At the end of Road House, Dalton left Glass Key, so he could be settling into a new town and working at a new bar in the sequel, thus expanding this world.

Gyllenhaal’s tease could also be about the fight scenes in Road House 2, which were already impressive (and controversial due to their use of CGI) in the first movie. This would make even more sense if Knox returns, as he surely has a lot of anger to let out on Dalton. There are many ways in which Road House 2 can go “bigger”, but it’s at risk of ignoring the essence of Patrick Swayze’s original movie.

Source: TVLine.

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  Road House (2024)

  Road House is a remake of the original 1989 film, which followed protagonist Dalton, a Ph.D. educated bouncer at the roughest bar in the south known as the Double Deuce. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dalton, with two major changes including Dalton being a retired UFC fighter and the bar locale being in the Florida Keys.

  Release Date

  March 21, 2024

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  Road House

  With a story and screenplay by David Lee Henry and direction from Rowdy Herrington, Road House is a 1989 Action release starring Patrick Swayze in the lead role. Swayze steps into the shoes of James Dalton, a bouncer that is hired by a club owner to provide security for the establishment.

  Release Date

  May 19, 1989