‘Road House’ Remake With Jake Gyllenhaal Casts UFC’s Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is stepping out of the ring and onto the big screen. The two-time UFC champion has been tapped to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the long-rumored Road House remake. Deadline confirmed Wednesday that the new reimagining of the classic ’80s action pic, which was initially set to star Ronda Rousey, has been green lit for Amazon Prime Video.

The upcoming movie is set to follow Gyllenhaal’s character, a former UFC fighter who “takes a job as a bouncer at a rough-and-tumble roadhouse in the Florida Keys, but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise.” McGregor, meanwhile, joins the cast as an original character and not himself, sources confirmed, though the name of his character and further details remain unclear at this time. His casting in the project was confirmed by his spokeswoman, Karen Kessler, in a statement to MMA Junkie.

“Conor McGregor is very excited to expand his storied career to Hollywood and join with Jake Gyllenhaal in this reimagining of ‘Road House,’ a beloved classic,” Kessler stated. “While fighting remains his top focus, this is the beginning of another successful venture in the McGregor empire. He is eager to get started filming.”

The role will mark McGregor’s acting debut. Although many in Hollywood have been trying for some time to tap the UFC superstar for various projects, McGregor was apparently waiting for the right fit. According to insiders, when McGregor caught wind “there was interest for him to join Road House, he actually watched the film for the first time and, after enjoying the original, was game to meet to see how he would play a part in the new film.” McGregor “was all in” on the project after a meeting with the film’s producer, Joel Silver, “and loved the idea where the new story was headed compared to the original.”

Along with Gyllenhaal and McGregor, the Road House remake is set to star Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Lukas Gage, Hannah Love Lanier, Travis Van Winkle, B.K. Cannon, Arturo Castro, Dominique Columbus, Beau Knapp, and Bob Menery. Details of their roles are also unclear. Doug Liman is directing from a script written by Anthony Bagarozzi & Charles Mondry, with Silver attached as producer for his company, Silver Pictures. JJ Hook, Alison Winter and Aaron Auch will serve as executive producers. A potential release date for rime Video’s Road House remake has not been revealed.