Jake Gyllenhaal underwent a full body transformation for his upcoming role in Road House, a remake of the 1989 movie of the same name.
“It’s been an incredible experience working with actual real fighters — reimagining a classic — there’s been a lot of the physical,” Gyllenhaal, 43, told Entertainment Tonight in January 2024.
Gyllenhaal stars as Elwood Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer in the Florida Keys because he’s short on money. The role was famously played in the 1989 film by the late Patrick Swayze, whose character’s name was John Dalton. The original version also starred Sam Elliott and Kelly Lynch.
The film is set to be an action-packed adventure full of laughs, but fans can’t stop talking about Gyllenhaal’s body transformation. The actor got very ripped for the role, and the internet coined the nickname “Jacked” Gyllenhaal after he debuted his new look.
Keep reading for everything we know about Road House:
Who Stars in ‘Road House’?
Gyllenhaal will share the screen with real-life UFC fighter Conor McGregor, who is making his big screen debut as the film’s antagonist. In addition, Daniela Melchior, who plays Elwood’s love interest Ellie, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Darren Barnet, J.D. Pardo, Arturo Castro and Lukas Gage also star in the flick.
What Is ‘Road House’ About?
The movie follows former UFC middleweight fighter Elwood Dalton (Gyllenhaal) getting hired as a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. However, things in the Sunshine State are not quite what they seem as he runs into troublesome characters.
When Will ‘Road House’ Be Released?
Road House will be available to stream on Thursday, March 21, 2024, on Prime Video.
The film will not be released in theaters, which has struck a chord with director Doug Liman.
Liman, who has previously directed The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Edge of Tomorrow, among others, plans to boycott the Road House premiere at South by Southwest (SXSW) because of his frustration with his project not getting a theatrical release.
“My plan had been to silently protest Amazon’s decision to stream a movie so clearly made for the big screen. But Amazon is hurting way more than just me and my film,” Liman wrote in a personal essay for Deadline in January 2024. “If I don’t speak up about Amazon, who will?”
