‘Road House’ remake hit with lawsuit from original screenwriter over copyright and AI claims
“Nobody ever wins a fight.”
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its parent company, Amazon Studios, has been hit with a lawsuit over its 2024 remake of the 1989 action flick “Road House.”
The off-screen drama began Tuesday when the original film’s screenwriter, R. Lance Hill, filed a lawsuit claiming copyright infringement for refusing to license his 1986 screenplay for the original movie which starred the late Patrick Swayze.
According to the lawsuit, Hill, 81, also claimed that Amazon used AI to mimic the voice of the movie’s stars in order to meet a self-imposed deadline — which was impacted by both the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes.
In response, an Amazon MGM spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly that “the lawsuit filed by R. Lance Hill regarding ‘Road House’ today is completely without merit and numerous allegations are categorically false.”
“The film does not use any AI in place of actors’ voices,” the statement continued. “We look forward to defending ourselves against these claims.”
A source close to the production claims no AI was used to re-create the actors’ voices, and if anything had been used, it would have been cut early on by filmmakers.
Additionally, studio executives were reportedly warned early on to remove any AI or non-union performers from the final cut of the film.
Hill claims that both MGM and Amazon ignored his attempt to recover the rights to his work and “steamrolled ahead with the production of a remake of the 1989 film.”
“Road House” was further plunged into chaos when director Doug Liman announced that he would not be attending the March 8 SXSW premiere of the film, claiming that Amazon lied to him about the movie being in theaters.
According to a piece written by Liman, 58, on Deadline, Amazon — which purchased MGM in 2022 — vowed to “put a billion dollars into theatrical motion pictures, releasing at least 12 a year” but chose not to for his “Road House” remake.
“They touted it as ‘the largest commitment to cinemas by an internet company,’ ” he said. “I can tell you what they then did to me and my film ‘Road House,’ which is the opposite of what they promised when they took over MGM.”
The “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” director also alleged that Amazon “has no interest in supporting cinemas” and instead “turned around and are using ‘Road House’ to sell plumbing fixtures.”
Beyond Liman’s allegations, “Road House” has been embroiled in controversy since the project was announced, with fans panning the film from the get-go.
Jake Gyllenhaal — who plays traveling dive bar bouncer-for-hire Dalton, a role originated by Swayze — is backing his director for his “deep love” of the film, but claimed he always knew it would never make it to theaters.
“I adore Doug’s tenacity, and I think he is advocating for filmmakers, and film in the cinema, and theatrical releases,” Gyllenhaal, 43, told Total Film magazine. “But, I mean, Amazon was always clear that it was streaming. I just want as many people to see it as possible.”
“And I think we’re living in a world that’s changing in how we see and watch movies, and how they’re made,” he continued. “What’s clear to me, and what I loved so much, was [Liman’s] deep love for this movie, and his pride at how much he cares for it, how good he feels it is, and how much people should see it.
“I’ve also sat watching a film on my computer, or in different places, and been so profoundly moved,” Gyllenhaal added. “If the job of a story is to move people, I have been moved in both forms. I’m a deep lover of cinema and the theatrical release — but I also do really embrace the streaming world.”
