Copyright Screen Rant
Longtime fans of the original 1989 cult classic Road House were delivered quite the treat on Wednesday, when it was revealed that director Doug Liman - who was at the helm for Amazon/MGM's 2024 Road House remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal - had obtained the rights to a sequel for the original film, dubbed Road House: Dylan. The script was written by original Road House writer R. Lance Hill (who wrote the script under the pen name David Lee Henry), though the sequel moving forward likely won't happen unless Hill wins a lawsuit he filed claiming ownership of the franchise. The Deadline report reveals that Liman plans to make Hill's sequel if he wins the lawsuit. While it may be quite some time before this legal matter is resolved, sadly there are no details available about Hill and Liman's potential sequel to the original cult classic, aside from the title. There is no character named Dylan in the original Road House, though the prominent subtitle most likely means there's a strong connection to the original. Dylan Is Most Likely The Son Of Patrick Swayze's James Dalton The original Road House followed James Dalton, a former New York City bouncer who gets recruited to clean up a rowdy bar called the Double Deuce in Jasper, Missouri, and he ultimately helps clean up the corrupt town itself in the process. The numerous bar fights and action-packed scenes helped make Road House a cult classic years after its release. Early on in the film, Dalton gets treated for some injuries at the bar by Elizabeth "Doc" Clay (Kelly Lynch), and they strike up a romance soon thereafter. They're still together at the end of the film, so it would certainly not be a bridge too far to assume that they procreated at some point, potentially having a son named Dylan. Given how beloved the original film has become in the 36 years since its release, a sequel following Patrick Swayze's most beloved characters — 16 years after his tragic passing at just 57 in 2009 from pancreatic cancer — would be a wonderful way to honor him. If they are in fact going this route, they would have to avoid the film's straight-to-video sequel. This Project Would Have To Retcon The 2006 Direct-To-Video Sequel Road House 2 Johnathan Schaech co-wrote and starred in Sony's 2006 sequel Road House 2, playing a DEA agent named Shane Tanner, the son of James Dalton, who head to a small town in Louisiana to protect his uncle's bar. It was revealed in that sequel that James Dalton was murdered several years prior. The film's climax reveals that Jake Busey's Wild Bill Decarie was hired to kill James Dalton by Richard Norton's Victor Cross, with the film ending with Shane at peace after learning who killed his father after all these years. Since Hill had no involvement in that sequel, it's not too surprising that he would write his own all these years later, most likely ignoring the events of this direct-to-video sequel in the process. Given that many fans of the original may not even be aware that there was a direct-to-video sequel, there likely won't be any sort of uproar over ignoring it, if Hill chooses to create his own version of James Dalton's son. Regardless, he may not even get to do so, legally, if Amazon/MGM prevail in the lawsuit that Hill and attorney Marc Toberoff have filed. What's At Stake With R. Lance Hill's Lawsuit Against Amazon/MGM R. Lance Hill is claiming that he wrote the screenplay for Road House "on spec" in 1986, which means that he wrote it without being paid in advance, in hopes of selling the script to a studio or production company. Since it wasn't a "work for hire," that should have resulted in the writer getting the rights to his script back. The lawsuit claims that, under Section 203 of the U.S. Copyright Act, the rights to his screenplay revert back to him 35 years after he sold it to United Artists. He's claiming the rights reverted to him on November 11, 2023, months before Amazon's Road House remake — which Liman directed — alleging that the remake infringes on the rights he re-acquired. Amazon/MGM is claiming that Hill sold the script through the company he created called Lady Ames Ltd., and the script is therefore a work of that company, and not his own, which they believe revokes his claim to terminate the copyright grant. Hill refuted that by stating that Lady Ames was his "business alter-ego." Hill also claims that he informed Amazon/MGM of his intention to terminate the copyright grant in November 2021, alleging that they used AI to replicate voices and dialogue to finish the film, which would be in violation of SAG and DGA agreements. The Road House remake was released in March 2024, debuting with a whopping 50 million views in the first two weekends. Doug Liman's Shift From The Remake To An Original Road House Sequel Director Doug Liman signed on to direct the Road House remake for MGM back in November 2021, just months before Amazon completed its purchase the legacy studio in March 2022. The filmmaker said in a guest column for Deadline back in January 2024 that the deal he signed with MGM was for a theatrical film, but Amazon turned around and released it on their Prime Video streaming platform exclusively instead. The director bashed the company, stating, "Amazon has no interest in supporting cinemas," despite their promise to put $1 billion into theatrical films, with Amazon then calling it, "the largest commitment to cinemas by an internet company." The column — along with alleged bad blood with Amazon execs - lead to the streamer bringing on Ilya Naishuler (Nobody) to direct the sequel. Liman had reportedly connected with Hill while making the original, and that relationship lead to him picking up the rights to this original Road House sequel himself and setting himself up to direct, therefore backing Hill's ownership claim. It could be a very intriguing court case (which is still pending) with potentially two sequels hanging in the balance.
