Ronda Rousey to Star in ‘Road House’ Reboot
Ronda Rousey confirmed Wednesday that she will star in a reboot of the cult 1989 film Road House, assuming the lead role previously filled by Patrick Swayze.
“It is a great honor to play a part in celebrating the life of a man that inspired so many. I couldn’t be more grateful to have this opportunity to pay respect to the beloved Patrick Swayze,” Rousey tweeted along with a link to Variety‘s story on the reboot. “I promise to work incessantly to make sure this project is a tribute his friends and family can be proud of.”
The original action film starred Swayze as a professional “cooler” at the Double Deuce, a saloon in a small town gripped by an evil businessman. Although critically gutted upon release, Road House gained a cult following for its throat-ripping ultraviolence, bizarre plot and tough-talking dialogue.
According to Variety, Rousey was initially intrigued by the idea of a Road House reboot but first sought to gain the blessing of Swayze’s widow Lisa Niemi, who gave the UFC star her approval. With Rousey and the Swayze estate on board, producers are now in the process of hiring writers to pen the reboot’s script, with production set to begin in 2016.
After making her big-screen debut in 2014’s The Expendables 3, Rousey had a pair of high-profile appearances in this year’s Furious 7 and Entourage. The undefeated fighter also has three more film projects in the pipeline catered specifically to her: Her 8 Mile-esque biopic My Fight / Your Fight, The Athena Project and the Mark Wahlberg-starring Mile 22. However, only the latter has scheduled a filming start date, with cameras set to role in February 2016, three months after Rousey’s UFC fight versus Holly Holm.