**EXCLUSIVE: A Brewing Battle Over Road House Sequel Rights**
It looks like there might be a Round Two in the bitter bar fight between Amazon MGM and director Doug Liman over *Road House*. Liman, who revived the franchise with a streamer hit remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor, has quietly acquired the sequel rights to *Road House* scripted by the original writer R. Lance Hill.
The filmmaker plans to make *Road House: Dylan*, the scribe’s sequel to the iconic 1989 film that starred the late Patrick Swayze as the Zen tough guy who comes to a crooked town and cleans it up, one bar brawl at a time. The original remains compulsively watchable—from Ben Gazzara’s scene-chewing villain to Kelly Lynch’s ER doctor and Sam Elliott as Swayze’s wingman—securing its place on hallowed B-movie ground.
Meanwhile, Amazon MGM has begun production on *Road House 2*, with Ilya Naishuler taking over in the director’s chair after Liman washed his hands of the project. Gyllenhaal reprises his role as cagefighter-turned-barfighter alongside Dave Bautista, Aldis Hodge, and Leila George. Like the first film, the plan is to release the sequel exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Liman’s original *Road House* remake became the biggest movie debut ever on Prime Video, breaking records with 50 million viewers worldwide in its first two weekends. According to the streamer, this made it the most-watched produced film debut ever globally, although precise streaming numbers aren’t as easily tracked as theatrical box office results.
One thing is certain: since Liman’s deal included bonuses tied to box office success, his compensation took a hit because the crowd-pleasing film had a strong platform to draw audiences to theaters. The bad blood here runs deep, as Deadline readers may recall.
The controversy began when Liman wrote a guest column expressing his frustration over a deal that promised a full theatrical release, only for the film to be unceremoniously shifted to a streaming-only release. This was despite the film testing well enough to be a sleeper theatrical hit. While Liman and producer Joel Silver even screened the picture for Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and his now-wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos, Amazon creative executives remained unmoved.
Caustic conversations between Silver and Amazon execs Courtenay Valenti and Sue Kroll—who all previously worked together at Warner Bros—left Silver sidelined. Liman initially planned to boycott the SXSW premiere but changed his mind, personally flying in his own plane to see the film play before a raucous crowd, paying for the fuel himself.
### The Legal Battle: How Two Sequels Can Exist
How can there be dueling sequels to the same film? A federal lawsuit is underway over the franchise’s ownership, filed by attorney Marc Toberoff for Hill.
The issue centers on whether Hill wrote the 1986 original script as a spec script. Under Section 203 of U.S. Copyright law, authors can reclaim rights to their works after a set period. Hill and his legal team maintain they have reclaimed those rights.
Amazon and MGM counter that Hill’s termination notice is invalid because the script was sold through his loan-out corporation, Lady Amos Inc., classifying it as a work made for hire. They have filed a false-ownership counterclaim accusing Hill of misrepresenting authorship.
Liman, who sought out Hill when planning the *Road House* sequel for Amazon MGM, sympathizes with Hill’s plight. His move to acquire the sequel rights effectively recognizes Hill’s claim and sets up two competing chains of title: Amazon’s studio-backed sequel and Liman’s author-sanctioned project.
The case could become a landmark test of how Section 203 applies to 1980s-era contracts and the influence of loan-out corporations on writers’ abilities to reclaim ownership of their original works.
Studios typically prefer clear chains of rights before investing millions into films and TV series, but such disputes are not unprecedented. Similar cases include the ongoing legal issues between *ER* creator Michael Crichton’s widow Sherri and Warner Bros, as well as the complicated *James Bond* franchise history, which led to rival James Bond films like *Never Say Never Again* (starring Sean Connery) and *Octopussy* (featuring Roger Moore).
In this case, it seems surprising the studio did not settle with Hill to avoid the legal entanglement.
At the time of publication, Amazon MGM declined to comment.
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### Two LAMDA Scholarships Might Pave the Way for the Next David Oyelowo
From the empathetic M:I5 spy Danny to the tough-as-nails lawman Bass Reeves, and everything David Oyelowo has done in between as an actor and producer, the star firmly believes he might never have gotten a chance without help getting into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) over two decades ago.
Tonight, Oyelowo is being honored at the celebration marking the endowment of two scholarships to this prestigious school. These scholarships aim to provide opportunities for talented, underrepresented individuals to access what can often seem like a firmly closed door.
Funded annually by the ML Dauray Arts Initiative, the scholarships target college graduates accepted into a one-year program leading to a Master of Arts degree at LAMDA. Applicants must be non-white or of Latin descent and demonstrate financial need. At least half of the distribution yearly will go to U.S. citizens. This is an ongoing annual endowment.
Oyelowo, a proud yet humble man I have gotten to know over the years, shared insights on the evolving landscape—a world where AI is automating jobs, and where terms like DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and “woke,” which originally sought to draw something positive from tragedies like the murder of George Floyd, have increasingly become targets of scorn.
Whether in the entertainment industry or orbiting it, as I do in my role as co-editor-in-chief of Deadline, it becomes important to consciously embrace diversity initiatives—not as quota games, but as actions that place us on the right side of history.
Oyelowo also leads a program that grants scholarships to female students in Nigeria, underscoring his broad commitment to expanding opportunities.
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### The Importance of Cultivating Talent Long-Term
Hollywood’s initial move toward DEI/Woke initiatives birthed a wave of talented writers, filmmakers, and actors of all backgrounds, producing some exceptional films and TV shows.
Yet, there is concern that deemphasizing these efforts risks reducing progress to a mere fad stemming from a shock that happened many years ago.
History provides lessons: when urban-themed films gained popularity in the 1990s, stars like John Singleton, the Hughes brothers, Ice Cube, and Chris Tucker emerged through opened doors. However, as Spike Lee often reminded us, the doors did not stay open because insufficient decision-makers of color remained in positions of power to sustain diverse perspectives.
Oyelowo acknowledges that two scholarships alone won’t solve systemic problems but sees this as a step in the right direction. He hopes others will lean in, as philanthropists Leonard and Sophie Davis and their son Alan—president of the foundation they established—have done in this effort.
“When I went to LAMDA over 20 years ago, there is no way I could have gotten there without a scholarship,” Oyelowo said. “My parents couldn’t afford it and had no idea how relevant the arts would be to my success. Nicholas Hytner, the then artistic director of the National Theater UK, awarded me a Scholarship of Excellence that made it possible. I simply wouldn’t have a career without that.”
Two years ago, Oyelowo received an honorary degree from LAMDA. During his acceptance speech, he discussed the crucial role scholarships played in his journey and his ongoing commitment to paying it forward by mentoring others and seeking meaningful work.
Alan Davis was present at the ceremony and decided to establish two scholarships in Oyelowo’s name to continue this mission. They agreed on criteria reflecting Oyelowo’s experiences.
“I was keen that at least one scholarship each year goes to an American student,” he said. “Having lived in America for 18 years, I have encountered the misconception that Black British actors are ‘taking jobs’ from African Americans. But the reality is about access. In the UK, I had access to excellent actor training, though I needed a scholarship. Many African-American, Latino, and Indigenous American talents do not have similar access.”
He stressed the need to “populate the pipeline” by cultivating talent early, comparing it to sports scouting. Sports teams scout young athletes to ensure they have a deep bench of talent for the future. Oyelowo envisions the same approach for the arts.
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### On the Backlash Against “Woke” and DEI
Oyelowo offered strong words about those who reject “woke” and DEI initiatives as negative.
“To accept ‘woke’ or DEI as pejoratives is to have never truly believed in equality,” he said. “It is nonsensical to consider awareness of marginalized people as a negative. Those who criticize these efforts were likely self-absorbed and uninterested in the common good to begin with.”
He emphasized the importance of sustained, generational work toward equality, rather than reacting to political shifts or moments made “in vogue” by tragic events.
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### Progress in Diversity at LAMDA
Reflecting on his time at LAMDA, Oyelowo recalled, “In my first year, I was the only Black student in a school of 300. By the time I left, there were three of us. Now, in my son’s class, 50% of students are people of color, reflecting the multicultural UK today.”
He cherishes this as a sign of progress: “My son can hardly understand that I was once the only Black student. That should be unimaginable by now.”
Now an American citizen and a global artist, Oyelowo remains committed to investing in future generations.
“We have many great actors of color trained today, but if we don’t continually invest in the future, progress could recede instead of increase,” he said.
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**For those interested in applying for the David Oyelowo scholarships or learning more about the initiative, please check LAMDA’s official website and upcoming deadlines.**
https://deadline.com/2025/10/road-house-2-doug-liman-amazon-david-oyelowo-scholarships-1236601932/