Guy Ritchie has left the upcoming sequel to Amazon’s Road House, just three months after he was announced as the film’s director.
The film is a remake of the 1989 film starring Patrick Swayze. In the 2024 version, Jake Gyllenhaal played a former UFC fighter who takes a job at a bar in Florida, only to end up in conflict with a local criminal syndicate. Conor McGregor had a supporting role in the film, which became one of Amazon Prime Video’s most-watched original films of all time, with a whopping 80 million views in its first eight weeks.
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Gyllenhaal made headlines due to his physique in the film, revealing last year that he was put on a strict diet to achieve a fighter’s body – he couldn’t even “eat a chip” during filming for fear of getting out of shape.
In April, Ritchie was confirmed as the director of the sequel, and in June, it was reported that former Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista was interested in a role. But according to a new report from Deadline, Ritchie is no longer connected to the project.
No reason has been given for the British filmmaker to leave production, but sources in the article state that the search for a new director is underway, and that the casting process continues. It is added that Road House 2 is a priority for the streaming service, given the success of the first film.
Ritchie’s most recent work includes the heist film Fountain of Youth for Apple TV+, starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman. He also produced and directed episodes of the crime thriller MobLand, starring Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan.
Recently, Brosnan told about his work with Guy Ritchie on the set of the series and recalled how the director encouraged him to make the character’s accent “more Irish”. The series has been confirmed for a second season, which has been celebratory among fans online.
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