UFC star Conor McGregor will make his first foray into feature films with a role in a remake of “Road House,” McGregor’s spokesperson Karen J. Kessler confirmed to ESPN.
“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,” Kessler said in a statement. “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.”
According to Deadline, Gyllenhaal will star as the main character in “Road House,” as a former UFC fighter who becomes a bouncer in a Florida Keys bar. McGregor’s role is unknown, but Deadline reported that he would be playing an original character and not himself. The movie will go into production this month in the Dominican Republic and will stream on Prime Video at a date to be determined, per Deadline.
He joins a cast that already includes Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Lukas Gage, Hannah Love Lanier, Travis Van Winkle, B.K. Cannon, Arturo Castro, Dominique Columbus, Beau Knapp, and Bob Menery.
McGregor had been due to make his film debut in XXX: Return of Xander Cage but pulled out following his defeat by Nate Diaz in 2016. He was eventually replaced by fellow former UFC champion Michael Bisping.
While McGregor has shot dozens of commercials for his various business ventures, Road House will be his first foray into feature films. He is repped by WME, Patrick Knapp of GGSS&C, and Audie Attar of Paradigm Sports Management.
