Road House 2 is officially happening with Jake Gyllenhaal returning to play Elwood Dalton, but if Conor McGregor doesn’t return as Knox, Road House 2 already has the perfect villain replacement. The remakes trend continues to be quite popular in the film industry, and a recent addition to it was the 1989 action movie Road House. Directed by Rowdy Herrington, Road House introduced James Dalton (Patrick Swayze), a professional but dangerous bouncer. Road House got a remake over at Prime Video with Doug Liman as director and Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton.

Road House followed former UFC middleweight fighter Elwood Dalton, who took a job as a bouncer at the Road House in the Florida Keys community of Glass Key. However, Dalton soon learned that it wasn’t an easy job as the community was run by crime boss Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen), who saw Dalton as a threat. When psychotic enforcer Knox arrived, Dalton realized that not only he but the Glass Key community were in great danger. The success of Road House led to a sequel being greenlit, but McGregor’s return wasn’t confirmed – luckily, Road House 2 already has its perfect villain replacement.

Road House 2 Can Officially Introduce Ben Brandt’s Father As Its Villain

Ben Brandt’s Father Was In Jail During Road House

Conor McGregor’s return in Road House 2 has been put into question due to an Instagram story he shared in which he congratulated the team behind the first movie and wished them luck. While this doesn’t confirm that he won’t reprise his role as Knox, it does raise the question of who could be Road House 2’s villain if Knox doesn’t return – and luckily, Road House already established its best next villain. Ben Brandt was the local crime boss whose henchmen messed with the Glass Key residents, particularly those who owned different businesses, such as the Road House.

However, Brandt’s position was thanks to his father. Ben’s father was in prison, which is why Ben was in charge, but his father still had heavy influence and control over Ben and their “business”, even calling his son from prison pretty often, but Ben kept ignoring his calls. It was Ben’s father who called and hired Knox as he didn’t trust Ben, tasking him with taking Dalton down so they could take over the Road House.

At the end of Road House, Ben was dead (killed by none other than Knox), Knox was presumed dead but was revealed to have survived in a post-credits scene, and Dalton was alive and well, which are enough reasons for Ben’s father to want revenge. Despite getting rid of Knox and saving the Road House (but not without causing a lot of damage), Dalton left Glass Key, which is even more motivation for Ben’s father to take full control and get his revenge on him for everything he did.

Ben Brandt’s Father Can Be Road House Remake’s Wesley

The Original Road House Had Wesley As Its Main Villain

Although Ben Brandt was the mind behind the chaos in Glass Key and Knox was the enforcer, none of them took the place of Road House’s original villain, Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara). Just like the Brandts, Wesley was a crime lord in control of the town of Jasper, Missouri, where he used bribery, intimidation, and violence. Wesley’s goal was to take over every business in town, which included the Double Deuce. Wesley went as far as trying to hire Swayze’s Dalton, but the latter’s refusal further angered him. Wesley got more violent after that and even had his men kill Dalton’s friend and mentor, Wade Garrett (Sam Elliott).

Wesley and his power over Jasper made him intimidating, but he was also a ridiculous villain, and his over-the-top and borderline nonsensical death only added to it. Although Ben had his funny moments, he wasn’t as intimidating as Wesley, nor as ridiculous and sometimes gross as he was, but Road House implied his father could definitely fit that mold. Ben Brandt’s father can be Road House 2’s equivalent to Brad Wesley, but hopefully, if he’s also meant to die, his death will be a lot more believable.