Patrick Swayze fans have vowed to boycott the Road House remake after the 1989 film was rebooted starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
The first trailer for the Prime Video version dropped Thursday morning and showed Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton, seemingly related to Swayze’s character James Dalton.
This new Dalton is a ripped former UFC fighter who becomes a “cooler” (bouncer) for a dingy bar in the Florida Keys.
Daniela Melchior (in the role of Kelly Lynch), Billy Magnussen (in place of Ben Gazzara) and Jessica Williams star alongside real-life UFC fighter Conor McGregor.
McGregor’s appearance in the trailer is fleeting yet memorable, with The Notorious taking on Gyllenhaal and delivering a brutal headbutt to open their first fight scene.
Patrick Swayze fans have vowed to boycott the Road House remake after the 1989 film was rebooted starring Jake Gyllenhaal (pictured)
Swayze starred in the original as a bouncer who tries to restore order at a notorious bar, but runs afoul of a ruthless crime boss who controls the city.
Conor McGregor’s appearance in the trailer is fleeting but memorable, with The Notorious taking on Gyllenhaal and delivering a brutal headbutt to open their first fight scene.
Nevertheless, the action-packed trailer failed to convince fans of the original who wondered why anyone would bother with a remake.
Fans shared on X: ‘They remade Roadhouse? Should I watch it? Probably, but Swayze, aka Dalton, will always be the OG in my book’; ‘The real/only/Swayze version of Road House airs tonight at 9pm on 5Star.’;
‘A Road House remake? There’s only one Dalton, go Hollywood!’; ‘I would have some VERY negative things to say about this Road House remake, but Patrick Swayze gave me some good life advice: be kind’;
‘Whose idea was it to remake Roadhouse and when are they getting fired?! ‘; “Hollywood learned nothing from the Point Break remake? Who decided to remake Roadhouse? This is an abomination. Hands off Patrick Swayze movies….’;
‘I love how people can put their differences aside and come together and agree that the world doesn’t need a Road House remake ❤️’; ‘Why are they remaking Roadhouse? Has one person ever asked for this?’; ‘Guys. The absolute state of the Road House remake trailer, starring himself.”
Still, not everyone was impressed, with one sharing: ‘Road House (2024) looks cool, the action seems well shot and fun. But I keep thinking about how it compares to the ’89 original. With Benny Urquidez as choreographer and the filmmakers adapting to his style, the original has a Hong Kong energy full of clarity and rhythm.’
The original Road House bowed to a disappointing response in 1989, but has since acquired a devoted cult following.
The soundtrack featured original songs by Patrick, alongside classic recordings such as The Doors’ Roadhouse Blues and Fats Domino’s Blue Monday.
Nevertheless, the action-packed trailer failed to convince fans of the original who wondered why anyone would bother with a remake.
It emerged on Wednesday that the new Road House will not receive a cinema release, but will instead roll out via streaming only on Amazon Prime on March 21.
In protest, outraged director Doug Liman wrote a guest column for Deadline announcing that he will skip the March premiere of his own film.
“If Road House opens the SXSW Film Festival, I won’t be there,” wrote Doug, whose filmography includes Swingers, The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith includes.
“The film is fantastic, perhaps my best, and I’m sure it will bring the house down and possibly have the audience dancing in their seats during the end credits,” the filmmaker wrote in Deadline. “But I won’t be there.”
He recalled: ‘When Amazon bought MGM, one of the few remaining studios making major commercial films for theatrical release (films like Bond, Creed), they announced they would pour a billion dollars into theatrical films, of which at least twelve a year would be released. ”
Doug added, “They called it ‘the largest commitment to movie theaters by an Internet company.’ I can tell you what they did next with me and my movie, which is the opposite of what they promised when they acquired MGM.”
He stated that ‘the facts’ were as follows: ‘I signed on to make a feature film for MGM. Amazon bought MGM. Amazon said make a great movie and we’ll see what happens. I made a great movie.’
Saying that the Amazon buyers themselves called his film a “big success,” he claimed that the film tested better than Mr. & Mrs. Smith or The Bourne Identity.
He also argued that the film, with its focus on martial arts and starring Conor McGregor, had a built-in audience among the “rabid and loyal” UFC fan base.
“What else could I have delivered to the studio? Nothing, as it turns out. Because, contrary to their public statements, Amazon has no interest in supporting movie theaters,” the filmmaker wrote bitterly.
“Amazon asked me and the film community to trust them and their public statements about supporting movie theaters, and then they turned around and used Road House to sell sanitation products.”
He noted that Road House’s “filmmakers and stars” will not “share” financially in the film’s windfall if it does well on a streaming service, adding that Jake will not be eligible for the major awards despite his ” career-best performance.”
“If we don’t put tentpole movies in movie theaters, there won’t be any movie theaters in the future,” Doug insisted. “Without movie theaters, we won’t have the commercial blockbusters that are the locomotives that allow studios to gamble on original films and new directors. Without cinemas we have no movie stars.’
It emerged on Wednesday that the new Road House will not receive a cinema release, but will instead roll out via streaming only on Amazon Prime on March 21.
In protest, outraged director Doug Liman wrote a guest column for Deadline announcing that he will skip the March premiere of his own film.
He believes that movie theaters survived the coronavirus lockdowns thanks to “brave filmmakers like Chris Nolan and Tom Cruise,” who “insisted that their films be played in theaters, and they proved that the audience is still there.” ‘
Referring to Amazon executives as “good people doing their best,” he wondered if they might also be “victims of this, forced to betray the artists they have supported throughout their long careers in film.” .
“The reality is that there may not be a human villain in this story; it could just be an Amazon computer algorithm,” Doug continued dryly.
“Amazon will sell more toasters if it has more subscribers; it will have more subscribers if it doesn’t have to compete with movie theaters. A computer could come up with that elegant solution as easily as it could solve global warming by killing all the people.”