Amazon MGM’s Road House sequel is in need of a new director. Multiple sources tell Deadline that Guy Ritchie has dropped out of directing Jake Gyllenhaal in the film, which was to begin production in just eight weeks. They are now scrambling to find a replacement. Perhaps they should give Doug Liman a call?
No reason was given for Ritchie’s exit. It’s not as if he’s hurting for things to do. Ritchie has two movies already wrapped, In the Grey and Wife & Dog. He recently released the Apple Originals adventure Fountain of Youth. In the world of streaming television he also has the Paramount+ series MobLand, and the upcoming Young Sherlock series on Prime Video.
Ritchie had taken over Road House 2 from Liman, who was publicly angry that Amazon MGM refused to give the film a theatrical release. It became a streaming hit with a whopping 50 million views in its opening frame, hitting more than 80 million in the following weeks.
Gyllenhaal is confirmed to return as Dalton, the ex-UFC brawler who becomes a bouncer for a rowdy Florida bar. Will Beal was hired to write the screenplay. Dave Bautista is rumored to be joining the cast, but nothing is locked in.
This never seemed like the right fit for Ritchie, anyway. At the end of 2025 he will have released nine movies in six years, plus three TV shows. He has plenty to do with original work that jumping in to direct a streaming sequel never made any sense.
