Doug Liman is still unhappy that Road House went right to streaming.
The Road House remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal was released on Amazon’s Prime Video earlier this year, and the movie ended up being a huge hit for the streamer. In fact, it didn’t take long after the movie’s release for Amazon MGM Studios to greenlight a sequel. While Gyllenhaal is expected to return as ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton, it’s unclear if director Doug Liman will return as director. It’s not a surprise that the Edge of Tomorrow director wasn’t quick to sign on considering how outspoken he’s been about Road House‘s release. Liman even skipped the movie’s premiere in protest, because he was unhappy about the film not being released in theaters. Now, Liman is expressing his concern about not getting more money for the movie’s streaming success.
“First of all, I have no issue with streaming,” Liman told IndieWire. “We need streaming movies cause, we need writers to go to work and directors to go to work and actors to go to work and not every movie should be in a movie theater. So I’m a big advocate of TV series, of streaming movies, of theatrical movies, we should have it all.”
“My issue on Road House is that we made the movie for MGM to be in theaters, everyone was paid as if it was going to be in theaters,” he continued. “Then Amazon switched it on us and nobody got compensated … Forget about the effect on the industry – 50 million people saw Road House – I didn’t get a cent, Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t get a cent, [producer] Joel Silver didn’t get a cent. That’s wrong.”
“I adore Doug’s tenacity, and I think he is advocating for filmmakers, and film in the cinema, and theatrical releases. But, I mean, Amazon was always clear that it was streaming,” Gyllenhaal previously told TotalFilm. “I just want as many people to see it as possible. And I think we’re living in a world that’s changing in how we see and watch movies, and how they’re made. What’s clear to me, and what I loved so much, was [Liman’s] deep love for this movie, and his pride at how much he cares for it, how good he feels it is, and how much people should see it.”
What Is Road House About?
Road House
– Amazon Prime)
Road House stars Gyllenhaal as Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and his penchant for violence, in this adrenaline-fueled actioner. Dalton is barely scraping by on the reputation that still precedes him when he is spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), owner of a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. She hires him to be her new bouncer in hopes of stopping a violent gang, working for crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen), from destroying her beloved bar. Even five to one, Brandt’s crew is no match for Dalton’s skills. But the stakes get higher with the arrival of ruthless gun-for-hire, Knox (Conor McGregor). As the brutal brawls and bloodshed escalate, the tropical Keys prove more dangerous than anything Dalton ever faced in the Octagon.
Stay tuned for more updates about Road House 2.
