Road House 2 Tease Means Jake Gyllenhaal’s Remake Can Redeem The Franchise’s 18-Year-Old Movie Failure

This article contains spoilers for Road House (2024)

A potential sequel to 2024’s Road House remake could redeem the action franchise’s mega failure from 18 years ago. A reimagining of the 1989 movie starring Patrick Swayze, 2024’s Road House follows Elwood Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal), an ex-UFC fighter-turned-bouncer at the titular roadside bar in the Florida Keys. Hired for the sole purpose of breaking up bar fights, Dalton brawls with a number of characters in 2024’s Road House. However, Dalton’s only worthy opponent who can really go toe-to-toe with him is Knox, the eccentric Irish henchman for the main villain, Brandt.

The very last fight scene in Road House 2024 is a final faceoff between Dalton and Knox, which ends with Dalton stabbing Knox repeatedly and seemingly killing him. However, 2024’s Road House movie’s post-credits scene reveals that Knox survived all the stab wounds and is still alive. This reveal sets up the perfect opportunity for a sequel to the Road House remake, since Knox would no doubt try to seek revenge on Dalton. If Road House 2 ever came to fruition, it could make up for the franchise’s forgotten installment that was far from a success.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s Road House 2 Would Be Way Better Than The 2006 Sequel

A Direct-To-Video Sequel To The Original 1989 Road House Movie Was Released In 2006

Regardless of how it would compare to the remake itself, the hypothetical sequel set up by Road House 2024’s ending couldn’t be worse than the existing sequel to 1989’s Road House. In 2006, a direct-to-video sequel to the original Road House movie was released that follows Dalton’s son, Shane Tanner (Johnathon Schaech), a DEA agent who embarks on a similar journey as his father in the first movie. Part of Shane’s arc involves trying to find the person who killed Dalton (whose first name is revealed to be James) years before the events of the sequel.

While the original Road House went on to become a cult classic that remains beloved by audiences despite its lack of critical acclaim, Road House 2 never reached this status, holding only a 33% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It has many flaws, but the sequel was already set up to fail by not having a proper link to the original movie, despite Shane’s relation to Dalton. Not only did the sequel kill off Dalton, preventing a Swayze return, but Road House 2 did not feature any characters or actors from the first Road House movie at all.

Given what a forgettable trainwreck 2006’s Road House 2 was, a sequel to the 2024 Road House remake is almost guaranteed to be better by comparison, especially since the Road House remake’s reviews are way better than the original movie already. 1989’s Road House has only a 41% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, while 2024’s Road House has a tentative 63%. 2006’s Road House 2 was still much worse than Swayze’s original movie, but since Gyllenhaal’s Road House remake is better than the 1989 movie, its sequel would have a stronger foundation to work off of.

Based on Gyllenhaal’s response to the idea of Roadhouse 2, the chances of a sequel look pretty promising, too. Gyllenhaal stated that he “would love to [revisit the role]” of Dalton in a sequel, adding that he “love[s] the role…the character…his humor…[and] where he could go.” “The essence of that character is there,” he continued, “and there’s so much more to explore in that space.” With Gyllenhaal on board, a sequel to the Road House remake would already have a leg up on the original’s sequel simply by having at least one of its stars return (and the lead at that).

Road House 2 Could Fix A Huge Mistake With The 2024 Remake’s Release

The 2024 Road House Remake’s Streaming Exclusive Release Led To Controversy

After Amazon purchased MGM and became Amazon MGM Studios, the company opted to release Road House directly to streaming with an exclusive Prime Video release, foregoing a theatrical run altogether. This led to director Doug Liman threatening to boycott the film’s SXSW premiere on March 8, 2024, as he disagreed with Amazon’s decision. Although Liman did ultimately decide to attend the event, this caused major controversy for the Road House remake. A sequel to 2024’s Road House could make up for this mistake and surrounding drama by releasing in theaters as Liman believed the remake should’ve been from the beginning.