Conor McGregor head-butts Jake Gyllenhaal in first epic Road House trailer

The first trailer for the remake of Road House has been released and features Conor McGregor head-butting star Jake Gyllenhaal.

Road House seems like an unlikely choice for a remake, but since debuting to poor reviews and average box office returns in 1989, the movie has built something of a cult following in the intervening years.

The original stars Patrick Swayze as a zen bouncer who spends his days flirting and philosophizing, and his nights beating up violent patrons at Honky Tonk bar the Double Deuce. It’s very silly and hugely entertaining.

Now a new take on the material is heading to Prime Video in March, with Jake Gyllenhaal playing the doorman in question, and Conor McGregor lending support to a hard-hitting villain.

Conor McGregor head-butts Jake Gyllenhaal in first Road House trailer

The first trailer for the new Road House dropped today, and can be viewed below:

Doug Liman directs from a script by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry, with the official synopsis as follows: “In this adrenaline-fuelled reimagining of the 80s cult classic, ex-UFC fighter Dalton takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.”

Gyllenhaal plays Dalton, Daniela Melchior is his love interest, Ellie, while the rest of the cast is filled out by Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Darren Barnet, and Arturo Castro.

As for former UFC champion Conor McGregor, he may or may not be playing a former UFC brawler, but either way, his character now appears to be working as an enforcer for the film’s villain. Which puts him on a collision course with our hero.

Road House looks like a blast, though the film has also been mired in controversy, with director Doug Liman incensed that the movie is bypassing cinemas in favor of going direct-to-streaming.

In an explosive op-ed for Deadline – more details of which can be found here – Liman writes: “When Road House opens the SXSW film festival, I won’t be attending. The movie is fantastic, maybe my best, and I’m sure it will bring the house down and possibly have the audience dancing in their seats during the end credits. But I will not be there.”

He then goes on to explain why, stating: “Contrary to their public statements, Amazon has no interest in supporting cinemas. Amazon will exclusively stream Road House on Amazon’s Prime. Amazon asked me and the film community to trust them and their public statements about supporting cinemas, and then they turned around and are using Road House to sell plumbing fixtures.”

Road House will be streaming from March 21, 2024, on Prime Video.