EXCLUSIVE: In what would mark his first acting job in a major studio movie, two-time UFC champion Conor McGregor is set to join Jake Gyllenhaal in Prime Video’s new reimagining of the classic ’80s action pic Road House. He joins a cast that already includes 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.
Doug Liman is directing from a script written by Anthony Bagarozzi & Charles Mondry. Joel Silver is producing for his company, Silver Pictures. JJ Hook, Alison Winter and Aaron Auch will serve as executive producers.
The new take follows a former UFC fighter (Gyllenhaal) 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. While exact details behind who McGregor will be playing are unknown, sources made it clear he would be playing an original character and not himself in the project. The Amazon Original Movie is set to go into production in the Dominican Republic this month and will stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide at release.
Hollywood has been trying for some time to get in business with the UFC superstar, but McGregor didn’t want to just jump into anything and wanted the project he made his debut in to be the right fit. Insiders say when he got 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. Sources add that after a meeting with Silver, McGregor was all in and loved the idea where the new story was headed compared to the original.
The film’s cast was already going to get plenty of eyeballs, but the addition of McGregor only helps that given the global reach he has over the years of headlining major UFC PPV events, and its expected those fans will tune in for this as well.
While McGregor has shot dozens of commercials for his various business ventures, Road House will be his first foray into feature films. He is repped by WME, Patrick Knapp of GGSS&C and Audie Attar of Paradigm Sports Management.
