Road House Redux

[GeneChing]

This should be good.

Ronda Rousey to Star in MGM’s Reimagining of ‘Road House’ (EXCLUSIVE)


SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 | 08:59AM PT
Justin Kroll Film Reporter @krolljvar

UFC fighter Ronda Rousey is building up her acting slate following another dominating victory and the announcement that she would be starring in a movie based on her autobiography for Paramount.

After passionately pursuing the project for some time, MGM has decided to move forward with a new take on 1980s action pic “Road House,” with Rousey expected to step into the role Patrick Swayze made famous.

Sources say MGM is currently meeting with writers to pen the script with with no shortage of scirbes getting in line for the opportunity to do so.

Released in 1989, the original pic starred Patrick Swayze as a bouncer hired to clean up one of the rowdiest, loudest bars in Missouri, The Double Deuce. A gentleman with a degree in philosophy, his calm is put to the test when he needs to protect the town from a corrupt businessman.

Production is set to begin in 2016.

The film became a breakout hit and still has a cult following today. Given MGM’s interest in rebooting some of its classics (the “Rocky” spin-off “Creed” bows in November), a “Road House” retelling felt right for the studio.

Rousey thought the idea of starring in a remake was a great idea but wanted to be respectful when pursuing the project. Sources say Rousey recently reached out to Swayze’s widow, Lisa Niemi, to ask for her blessing to star in the remake, which insiders say Niemi gladly gave.

Based on the physicality of Swayze’s performance, Rousey’s experience in mixed martial arts makes her a clear choice for the role.

The project would mark her biggest job to date, since the property carries such a large following. This will be the fourth project being specifically developed for Rousey to star in, following her biopic “My Fight/Your Fight” at Paramount, “The Athena Project” at Warner Bros. and the STX action pic “Mile 22,” which has Pete Berg on board to direct with production set to start in February which will follow her next fight against Holly Holm on Nov. 14.

Rousey has already had a busy year at the cinema, appearing in “Furious 7” and the “Entourage” movie after a cameo in last year’s “The Expendables 3.”

She is repped by WME and attorney David Feldman.

[PalmStriker]

YoWWW! Would love to see this titan babe beat the crap out of a bunch of insulting obnoxious drunken slobs.

[Jimbo]

I'll check it out. Sounds like a potentially good watch.

At the bottom of that article, at first I misread WME as WWE. Whew! If WWE studios were involved with the movie it would suck.

[GeneChing]

This just got real.

Nick Cassavetes to Write, Direct Ronda Rousey’s ‘Road House’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Rex Shutterstock
October 12, 2015 | 01:24PM PT
Justin Kroll
Film Reporter @krolljvar

After nabbing UFC fighter Ronda Rousey to star in a reboot of Patrick Swayze’s “Road House,” MGM has now found its director.

Sources tell Variety that Nick Cassavetes has closed a deal to write and direct the re-envisioning of the ’80s action classic, with Rousey on board to star and produce.

Rousey is currently in training for her championship fight against Holly Holm on Nov. 14 at UFC 193. Insiders say once the fight is over, the plan is to immediately begin prepping for a fast-tracked shoot in the first quarter of 2016.

Released in 1989, the original film starred Swayze as a bouncer hired to clean up one of the rowdiest, loudest bars in Missouri, The Double Deuce. Swayze’s character is put to the test when he needs to protect the town from a corrupt businessman.

This movie became a breakout hit and maintains a cult following. “Road House” follows MGM’s reboot of another classic; the “Rocky” spinoff “Creed” hits theaters in November.

Cassavetes has directed his fair share of male-focused films like “Alpha Dog” and “John Q,” but sources say it was his skill of writing strong roles for women that was a major selling point for execs, showcased in films like “The Notebook” and “The Other Woman.”

The project would mark Rousey’s biggest acting gig to date. This marks the fourth project being specifically developed for Rousey to star in, following her biopic “My Fight/Your Fight” at Paramount, “The Athena Project” at Warner Bros. and the STX action pic “Mile 22,” which has Pete Berg on board to direct.

Cassavetes is repped by WME, LBI Entertainment and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman. Rousey is repped by WME and attorney David Feldman.

[GeneChing]

...but this struck me as really funny today.

Ronda Rousey's 'Road House' Remake Is 'Bullsh-t,' Terry Funk Says
The hardcore wrestling king – and featured player in Patrick Swayze's original film – takes issue with Rowdy's reboot: "She don't belong in there!"



BY JAMES MONTGOMERY December 3, 2015

Sure, Ronda Rousey's action-star status may have taken a hit – or a kick to the head – when she was felled by Holly Holm last month in Australia, but the former UFC Bantamweight champ is still pressing on with plans to star in a remake of Road House. And that's got Terry Funk's blood boiling.

For those of you who don't know, Funk is the hardcore wrestling icon who has spent the past 50 years kicking ass (and getting his ass kicked) in rings around the world. The tough Texan has feuded with everyone from the late Dusty Rhodes to Mick Foley, and set a new standard for brutality in promotions like ECW and IWA Japan, where he'd compete in an infamous "King of the Death Match" tournament. Oh, and he's also acted on occasion – in films that included Over the Top and, of course, Road House, where he mixes it up with rowdy patrons at the Double Deuce saloon.

Despite that, Funk was apparently unaware that a Road House reboot was even in the works, which definitely explains his reaction after being told of Rousey's involvement in it: "You've got to be ****ing kidding me."

"Ronda Rousey in 'Road House?' They're making a remake and I'm not in it and she is? That's bull****," the Funker says. "She don't belong in there! I'd like to go ahead and get her in the god**** ring – it wouldn't take me 10 rounds to kick her ass."

Woah, settle down, Terry. Of course, it doesn’t help that the guy asking him about the film keeps referring to the MMA fighter as "Ronda Rosey," but cut him some slack – dude was in the Full Blooded Italians back in the day. And, Funker, if you're looking to land a role in the new film, perhaps threatening its star isn't the best way to go?

[GeneChing]

Major film lead or the cage? Just got to grab those opportunities when they come.

Ronda Rousey will star in ‘Road House’ instead of facing Holly Holm at UFC 200
By Des Bieler January 13


Ronda Rousey is shown at July’s ESPY Awards, where she was named Best Fighter. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Now we know why UFC President Dana White reversed course and gave Holly Holm the thumbs-up to face Miesha Tate in March. He had wanted Holm to wait until July, all the better to face Ronda Rousey in a mega-rematch at UFC 200, but the latter has asked for some more time off.

And why did Rousey ask for that? So she could complete filming of a remake of “Road House.”

In fairness, the filming of that movie was delayed, likely affecting whatever schedule Rousey had mapped out to do that while also getting back into fighting shape after her knockout loss to Holm at UFC 193 in November. Also, the mixed martial arts star is set to step into Patrick Swayze’s shoes as the star of the new “Road House,” a major opportunity many would find impossible to pass up.

Still, the news that arrived Tuesday won’t do much to allay criticism by some MMA fans that Rousey hasn’t been paying enough attention to the thing that made her an international icon in the first place. And it deprives the company of what would have been its headline bout at UFC 200, already set to be an extravaganza at a brand new arena in Las Vegas.

“The filming of the movie got pushed back,” White told Yahoo Sports. “She could do both, but the question is, should she do both? She could do both, but why should she? The filming is in a time frame where she’d finish before [UFC] 200, but it would be cutting it too close.”

White made it clear that he was more than willing to let Rousey take her time returning to the Octagon. Her explosion over the past year has vaulted not just women’s MMA, but the entire sport, far more into public consciousness than it had ever been before.

“The way I look at this one is, Ronda has worked her ass off for us for the last three years,” White told Yahoo Sports. “She’s been fighting, promoting and building the sport. If anyone deserves the time off, it’s her. The night [of UFC 193], Holly said she’d do the rematch and that Ronda deserved it and everything else. So we were holding it for her if she wanted to do it.”

“Anything we needed, [Rousey] didn’t say no to anything; said no to nothing,” White added. “She even took over responsibilities somebody else was supposed to have. So when she tells me she wants more time, you know what? She’s got it.”

In the meantime, Holm will take on Tate at UFC 197 in March. That event promises to be a blockbuster in its own right, partly because it will mark Holm’s first match since handing Rousey her first MMA defeat, but also because emerging superstar Conor McGregor will attempt to add an unprecedented lightweight belt to the one he holds in the featherweight division, when he takes on Rafael dos Anjos.

A rematch with Rousey still figures to be Holm’s next match after facing Tate, and even if the latter gets the win at UFC 197, Rousey-Holm 2 — whenever it occurs — will undoubtedly generate major interest. MMA fans can only hope that it will also feature a fully focused and prepared “Road House” star.


Des writes for the Early Lead and the D.C. Sports Bog, scouring the Web to bring readers items of interest, both serious and amusing. He also covers fantasy football, as well as fitness topics for the MisFits.

[GeneChing]

Meryl Streep’s Comments About Mixed Martial Arts Motivated Conor McGregor to Prove Her Wrong in ‘Road House’
Tatiana Tenreyro
Wed, March 20, 2024 at 7:25 AM PDT·3 min read



At the New York City premiere of Doug Liman’s remake of Road House on Tuesday, Conor McGregor shared with The Hollywood Reporter how Meryl Streep’s negative comments about mixed martial arts made him want to prove himself even more while starring in the film.

While accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2017 Golden Globes, Streep said, “Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners. And if we kick them all out, you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.” Her remark was met with roaring applause, but her comments hurt athletes in the UFC, including McGregor.

“Fighting is the most beautiful form of art, and you know, it’s a great thing to come into this game, which is also art,” he said. “I was really taken aback because fighting is an art. It’s brutal also, so I can understand. It’s not for somebody to make a mistake; it’s real artistry for those who do what we do, so I came in [to filming Road House] with maybe a little chip on my shoulder and wanting to represent my sport and my art, give my best in this arena.”

In this iteration of Road House, McGregor plays the villainous Knox, who faces off against former UFC champion-turned-bouncer Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) in a battle for the titular bar. While appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Gyllenhaal shared that the UFC star “clocked” him in the face “by mistake.”

McGregor confirmed he did in fact hit Gyllenhaal in the face, saying, “Aye, one or two little wallops. What’s a fight between friends, eh? At the lovely Road House.” The Irish athlete added, “But he gave ’em back, too! Jake’s a consummate professional, and he took it well and gave it right back. That’s what you gotta do. Gotta get up and fight right back.”

When asked if he thinks his co-star has what it takes to be a real-life UFC champion, McGregor had nothing but kind words: “For sure, he could, yes, for sure, I’d love to see him do it. I’d love to see him have a fight or two.”

Lukas Gage, who plays bartender Billy in the film, was also in attendance at the premiere and spoke about the behind-the-scenes process of filming the movie’s many fight scenes. “It was intense. I never have done stunt training or fight training before,” he said. “Taking on full stunt training under Steve Brown and Garrett Warren, they did Avatar and some of the best action films … it was an honor to learn from people who know what they’re doing.”

Gage ended up doing many of his own stunts, which he wasn’t expecting. “I think I just assumed, okay, like, sometimes they’ll have a stunt person there to take over and have your back. But no, Doug, the stunt guys, everyone really wanted us to really do it on our own, and I’m so glad I did. It pushed me. It got me out of my comfort zone. I’m like a really laid-back dude in real life so to push myself in that way was really cool.”

While Gage didn’t need a stunt double for fight sequences, another one of the film’s stars was ready to pull off a terrifying stunt but ended up not doing so. Daniela Melchior, who plays Dalton’s love interest Ellie, has a terrifying scene in a sinking yacht where she tries to break free after being kidnapped. “I had scuba diving lessons [for the scene],” said Melchior. However, the scene ended up requiring a stunt double because it was likely “too dangerous for production,” according to the actress.

Road House will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday.

Road-House-Redux
Is-MMA-Art

[GeneChing]

That was some tasty ultravi.

In my Sep 22 feature about this for Den of Geek, I asked - Will Amazon’s Road House be able to live up to the original? Well, it does. It even exceeds it on some levels. Jake nails what he’s doing with the role, and even gives Dalton some shallow depth (I know, oxymoron, but it’s still Road House so it’s still shallow). Jake makes Dalton his own. He looks great - chiseled and yoked. There’s some adjustments to the characters but it’s essentially the same story.

It preserves some of the cheesiness but doesn’t dare challenge the gratuitous 80s cheese. There’s no boobs, just some ass (not the ass you want to see but it works for this). Even the bar bands are pretty rockin’ so the music is still on par. And the fights are solid - Jake sells a punch astonishingly well and manages some complex sequences. The action and stunt sequences are superb.

What really sells it is Conor. He was a great UFC bad boy and he’s an over the top villain. Talk about selling a punch. Conor can move obvs. His strikes have that authentic attitude and his character is basically a monstrous *******, not far from how he's been portrayed in real life. And he kills it. One of the best villains I've seen in years.