Conor McGregor’s first movie role will apparently have him doing what he does best: Beating the crap out of people.
The UFC legend has signed on to act in an upcoming remake of the classic film “Road House,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the role of Jack Dalton. The protagonist, played in the 1989 original by Patrick Swayze, was a mysteriously cerebral professional bouncer from New York who restored peace and order to the Double Deuce, a in Jasper, Missouri, juke joint.
“Conor McGregor is very excited to expand his storied career to Hollywood and join with Jake Gyllenhaal in this reimagining of ‘Road House,’ a beloved classic,” McGregor’s spokesperson Karen Kessler confirmed to ESPN. “While fighting remains his top focus, this is the beginning of another successful venture in the McGregor empire. He is eager to get started filming.”
EXCLUSIVE: In what would mark his first acting job in a major studio movie, two-time UFC champion Conor McGregor is set to join Jake Gyllenhaal in Prime Video’s new reimagining of the classic ’80s action pic #RoadHouse | https://t.co/bdkbmc4pQM pic.twitter.com/Dul4aQgTHO
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) August 3, 2022
The Amazon Prime Video reboot takes place in a Florida Keys bar where Gyllenhaal, a former UFC fighter, presumably is forced to use his skilled fists and feet on local lunkheads.
“[Gyllenhaal’s character is] a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a rough-and-tumble roadhouse in the Florida Keys, but soon discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise,” according to Amazon Prime.
It’s not clear where McGregor comes in, but Deadline, which first reported the Irishman’s role, said he will not play himself and will instead portray an original character.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Swingers” veteran Doug Liman will direct the project, which will be produced by Joel Silver, who also produced the original.
McGregor, 34, suffered a fractured leg a year ago in his last bout with Dustin Poirier. He sold the majority of his Proper Twelve whiskey brand to Proximo Spirits, which owns Jose Cuervo in April 2021 for a reported $600 million, earning him a place atop Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
McGregor is the UFC’s most popular fighter of all time. He was the first fighter to hold two titles in two different UFC divisions concurrently and lost a boxing match to former world champion Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
Swayze, who also starred in movie classics “Dirty Dancing,” “Point Break,” and “Ghost,” died of pancreatic cancer in 2009. The original “Road House” grossed a mere $30 million, but came to be revered as a cult classic.
