Jake Gyllenhaal attends the Amazon Premiere Upfront Screening at Pier 36 on May 14, 2024 in New York City. Photo by Slaven Vlasic-Getty Images for Amazon.
Advance:
- Jake Gyllenhaal will star in a sequel to ‘Road House’.
- Amazon confirmed the news today.
- The company also announced news about ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ and more.
It was a big news day for Amazon’s movie studio arm and streaming service Prime Video, as the companies used their first shared “Upfronts” (a presentation for advertising buyers) to announce some new projects and follow-ups to recent successes.
Prime ––pun totally intended––among the movie news was news of a sequel to this spring’s ‘Road House,’ the updated version of Patrick Swayze’s cult bar fight drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
What’s happening with ‘Road House’?
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in ‘Roadhouse’. Photo: Laura Radford © Amazon Content Services LLC.
Although the first film arrived amid a wave of negative press: producer Joel Silver was fired for aggressive behavior, director Doug Liman denounced the plan to release the film directly to streaming (he has since made peace with the idea), and a writer’s demand. of the original which claimed that the new film was simply an attempt to maintain the intellectual property –– ‘Road House’ turned out to be a huge hit for Amazon/MGM, with 50 million views worldwide in its first two weekends.
And there was more to come…
Here’s what Amazon’s head of film, Jennifer Salke, had to say at the event:
“As we saw this spring, the world went crazy over a little movie called ‘Road House.’ Almost 80 million viewers around the world have seen ‘Road House’. We like to see these results like a baby.”
So far from backing the baby into a corner (a bit of Swayze crossover humor), the studio has Gyllenhaal set to return for a sequel. No other details were confirmed, so we’ll have to wait to see if Liman returns to direct (highly unlikely) and what the story might be for the star’s lead character, Dalton, the MMA pugilist turned bar bouncer.
And that was far from the only news…
Mr. and Mrs. Smith return for season 2
(From left to right) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
It was confirmed that the thriller series, which takes the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt film as inspiration to tell a story of relationships and spy trades, will return for a second season.
But unlike ‘Road House,’ there was no confirmed casting, so while Donald Glover (who also co-created the show with Francesca Sloane) and Maya Erskine starred in season 1 as two strangers brought together by a mysterious agency, there was no there is information. still about whether they will return (even though the first season ended on an apparent cliffhanger).
Sloane returns for season 2 to lead the show, but it remains to be seen if the series continues the story of established John (Glover) and Jane (Erskine) Smith or follows other agents.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge was originally on board to develop and co-star in the show with Glover, but left due to creative differences. Still, she’s stuck on Amazon/Prime Video…
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s ‘Tomb Raider’ Series
Phoebe Waller-Bridge from ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
While we knew that the ‘Fleabag’ creator has been developing a show based on the ‘Tomb Raider’ video game, Amazon has now issued a series order.
Waller-Bridge will write the series, but does not currently plan to star in it.
This is what she had to say about the news:
“If I could tell my teenage self that this was happening, I think he would explode. ‘Tomb Raider has been a big part of my life and I feel incredibly privileged to be bringing it to television with such passionate collaborators. Lara Croft means a lot to me, as it does to many, and I can’t wait to embark on this adventure. Bats and everything.”
(From left to right) Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal star in ‘Roadhouse’. Photo: Laura Radford © Amazon Content Services LLC.