Rob Cohen To Direct Remake Of Cult Classic 'Road House'

Survey a bunch of movie fans on the most rewatchable films of the Eighties and Road House is guaranteed to come up. The classic-bad-action film starring Patrick Swayze as a no-nonsense bouncer features some of the most cheesy dialogue and fighting you've ever seen in a major motion picture. But thanks in part to Swayze's charisma, the film also has its charms. It's one of those movies, that is extremely hard to turn off when happened across on cable.

That said, the premise of Road House isn't what brings people back. It's how it's played, which is why this latest piece of news is a head-scratcher. It seems MGM has hired Rob Cohen, director of xXx, The Fast and the Furious and recently Alex Cross, to remake Road House.

The Wrap broke the news of Cohen being hired for the film. Michael Stokes wrote the script for the remake, but there's no word on how faithful to the original it is, or what the tone will be.

Cohen is best known for straight action, but has definitely shown an ability to do it with a sense of humor. xXx is a particularly good example. He was also a pretty prevalent producer in the late Eighties when Road House was made, working on The Running Man, The Monster Squad, Bird on a Wire, The Hard Way, all films that blend action with some kind of humor or subversion.

For a remake of Road House to work, it has to have that: A carefully balanced tone featuring action, character, and self-awareness. Otherwise, it'll just be a movie about a bouncer at a bar and I can't imagine many people will care. Unless there's some sort of new, interesting spin to go along with the name recognition.

Who would you cast as the lead in a remake of Road House?