Jake Gyllenhaal’s Perfect Road House 2 Return Was Already Revealed 35 Years Ago

A potential sequel to Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House remake would already have the perfect story, thanks to Patrick Swayze’s original movie. Both Gyllenhaal and Swayze played Dalton, a bouncer with a dark past, in their respective Road House movies. When they were called in to clean up a rowdy bar, they both got more than they bargained for and ended up saving an entire town. While they both follow the same general plot, the two versions of the movie were also quite different, and the different Road House movies also enjoyed very different levels of critical success.

The Road House remake has enjoyed massive viewership since its release. Because of the remake’s popularity, and Road House‘s post credits scene, which already teased it, a sequel is becoming increasingly likely. Luckily, a potential sequel to the Road House remake could find the perfect plot within the 1989 original. Aside from some references to the original movie in Road House 2024, Jake Gyllenhaal’s time as Dalton has been mostly unique. By drawing from the original’s story, the sequel could not only craft a new story, but also bring Gyllenhaal’s version of Dalton closer to Swayze’s portrayal.

Road House’s 2024 Remake Left Out Several Plot Points From The Original Movie

Dalton’s backstory was the biggest change, but entire characters were left out

Gyllenhaal’s movie featured some elements of the original film, but it also left out several others. It replaced characters like Wade Garrett and entirely excluded others like Cody. Perhaps the biggest change was to Dalton’s backstory in Road House, though, as the remake saw him as a former UFC fighter, while in the original he was a professional bouncer known as a cooler. In the remake, the Road House was the first bar Dalton ever bounced at, whereas in the original, Dalton had established himself as a reputation as a legendary cooler across the country.

The remake also left out many of the subplots that focused on the original’s side characters. The residents of Glass Key, aside from Charlie and her dad, weren’t nearly as fleshed out as the locals in Jasper. The staff of the Road House was similarly underdeveloped in comparison to the workers at the Double Deuce. The biggest change, though, was that Dalton didn’t have an equal on his side to help with fights. Wade Garrett filled that role in the original, but since Dalton didn’t have any experience in bouncing, he also didn’t have any backup for Road House‘s fight scenes.

Road House 2 Would Likely Go Back To Glass Key (But The Original Movie Hints It Shouldn’t)

Swayze’s Dalton wandered restlessly, which could keep the sequel fresh

At the end of Road House 2024, Dalton left Glass Key. Though he was leaving, there were several hints that it wouldn’t be a permanent departure. Dalton will likely return to Glass Key in a potential Road House sequel because he left too many loose threads unresolved. Brandt’s dad was the real driving force behind the plot to shut down the Road House, and he was still able to wreak havoc from his prison cell. Knox also survived his fight with Dalton, and they need a rematch. The Road House sequel could follow either of those plotlines, but the original movie presents a better option.

In the original, Dalton moved around frequently, starting off in New York before he wound up at the Double Deuce in Missouri. That dynamic worked well, as it showed that Dalton was restless and made his fate at the end of Road House 1989 sweeter, and it could work for the remake, too. If Dalton returned to fight essentially the same powers he battled in the first movie, it would feel like the sequel was just rehashing the same plot in the same setting. Moving away from Glass Key would give the Road House sequel a way to stay fresh and exciting.

A Sequel To Road House’s Remake Could Use More Of The Original Movie’s Forgotten Story

Gyllenhaal’s Dalton could become a professional cooler and make new friends

Another way for the sequel to stay fresh would be to draw more from Patrick Swayze’s movie than the Road House remake did. Because the remake is so different from the original, using more of the 1989 version’s story for the sequel would still feel fresh. A sequel to the Road House remake could make Dalton a professional cooler like he was in the original, and turn the remake into an origin story about how he started cleaning up bars for a living. The original never gave much of Dalton’s backstory, so the sequel could explore more of his journey to becoming a legendary cooler.

Making Dalton a professional cooler would also be the perfect opportunity to introduce some of the characters that didn’t make it into the remake. If the sequel picks up after a time jump, Dalton could very easily have made friends with musicians and other bouncers throughout the course of his career. That would explain why characters like Cody or Wade didn’t make it into the first movie. It would also open the door for several actors to take over those roles, like a redeemed version of Conor McGregor’s Knox or even Ronda Rousey, who was originally picked to play Dalton in a failed Road House remake years ago.

Road House 2 Would Still Need To Make Major Changes From The 1989 Movie’s Unused Story

Gyllenhaal could reverse the role of Swayze’s Dalton and act as a teacher in the sequel

Though they’re different in many ways, the Road House remake and original also cover most of the same ground. Both versions of Dalton drift into town, face off against a powerful business person, and ultimately go on a violent rampage that ends up saving the community. Both the 1989 and 2024 versions of Road House have hit the same major story beats, so for the sequel to be unique, it will have to change the original’s formula. Using that formula worked for a remake 35 years later, but trying it again would make audiences feel like they’re watching the same movie for the third time.

A sequel to the Road House remake needs a new hook to draw in audiences, so something about its plot has to change. While the sequel would need to distance itself from Road House 1989, it could also subvert the original to find its own footing. If it follows Dalton as a professional cooler and features a bouncer friend of his, it could flip the script on their relationship. In the original, Wade was older and wiser than Dalton, but in the Road House sequel, Dalton could take on the teacher role and show a younger bouncer the tricks of the trade.

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  Road House (2024)

  R

  Action

  Thriller

  Road House is a remake of the original 1989 film, which followed protagonist Dalton, a Ph.D. educated bouncer at the roughest bar in the south known as the Double Deuce. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Dalton, with two major changes including Dalton being a retired UFC fighter and the bar locale being in the Florida Keys.

  Director

  Doug Liman

  Release Date

  
  March 21, 2024
  

  Cast

  Jake Gyllenhaal
  , Daniela Melchior
  , Billy Magnussen
  , Jessica Williams
  , Joaquim De Almeida
  , Conor McGregor
  , Lukas Gage
  , Arturo Castro
  , B.K. Cannon
  , Beau Knapp
  , Darren Barnet
  , Dominique Columbus
  , Bob Menery

• 

  Road House

  R

  Action

  Thriller

  With a story and screenplay by David Lee Henry and direction from Rowdy Herrington, Road House is a 1989 Action release starring Patrick Swayze in the lead role. Swayze steps into the shoes of James Dalton, a bouncer that is hired by a club owner to provide security for the establishment.

  Director

  Rowdy Herrington

  Release Date

  
  May 19, 1989
  

  Cast

  Patrick swayze
  , Kelly Lynch
  , Sam Elliott
  , Ben Gazzara
  , Marshall R. Teague
  , Julie Michaels
  , Red West
  , Sunshine Parker