Credit: AmazonThe Jake Gyllenhaal-led remake of the classic action movie Road House (1989) is being sued for copyright infringement by the screenwriter of the original film, who also claims that Amazon Studios used artificial intelligence on the film in violation of union rules.
The original Road House starred Patrick Swayze in one of his most iconic roles, portraying a bar “cooler” named Dalton, who finds himself in a war against a corrupt businessman (Ben Gazzara) and his goons for the soul of a small town. The film was a moderate commercial success on initial release, though critically dismissed, but later gained a cult following among action films.
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Naturally, that has led to the film being remade by Amazon Studios, which acquired the rights from United Artists via its 2022 acquisition of MGM’s massive library of movies and television. The new Road House is set to star Jake Gyllenhaal as a former UFC fighter (also named Dalton, but supposedly an original character, more on that later) who ends up in conflict with Billy Magnussen and his goon, actual UFC fighter Conor McGregor.
However, the film has been beset by difficulties for months. Like many other movies, production on Road House was shut down for months because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Then Director Doug Liman has publicly criticized Amazon, claiming that he was told the film would be given a theatrical release rather than streaming one via Prime Video.
And now there’s this new lawsuit from R. Lance Hill, who wrote the original Road House under the name David Lee Henry (officially co-credited to Hilary Henkin). In the suit, Hill claims that he was attempting to regain copyright on the original film (per LA Times) and that Amazon “steamrolled ahead with the production of a remake of the 1989 Film derived from Hill’s Screenplay.”
Hill claims that he would have regained his copyright within two years, based on a provision of the U.S. Copyright Act, which allows creators to take back rights after a period of non-use by studios. According to the Road House writer, Amazon rushed production on the remake by using artificial intelligence generative tools to reproduce the voices of actors like Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor, and Daniela Melchior to meet an expiration deadline, allowing them to avoid returning the rights. Critically for Hill’s lawsuit, said use of artificial intelligence would have been in violation of WGA and SAG-AFTRA union agreements.
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Unsurprisingly, Amazon has denied wrongdoing, calling the Road House lawsuit “completely without merit” and that the “film does not use any AI in place of actors’ voices.”
Hill is asking the U.S. Central District Court in Los Angeles to block the release of the movie on Prime Video, which probably won’t make Doug Liman very happy either.
The full text of Hill v. MGM, Amazon, and United Artists can be read below:
Will you watch Road House if it premieres on Prime Video next month? Let us know in the comments below!