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UFC superstar Conor McGregor is set to make his Hollywood debut in an upcoming movie alongside the renowned Jake Gyllenhaal.
Former two-division UFC champion McGregor has bagged a role in Amazon Prime Video’s modern rendition of the 1980s action classic movie, “Road House.” The production company announced Monday that he would star alongside Hollywood A-lister Jake Gyllenhall, with filming scheduled to begin this month in the Dominican Republic.
The reboot will see Gyllenhall, who plays an ex-UFC fighter, work as a bouncer trying to improve things at a rowdy roadhouse in the Florida Keys. While his role has not been declared yet, Deadline reported the Irish sensation would play an original character in the movie, not expected to be himself.
Amazon Studios took to Twitter on Aug. 3 to share the update: “Fight icon Conor McGregor expands his storied career into film to join Jake Gyllenhaal in the reimagining of the beloved classic, Road House.”
McGregor confirmed the news by retweeting with a simple wink emoji.
McGregor’s Spokesperson Issued a Statement About the Role
Deadline claimed that McGregor had not seen the movie before he found out there was interest in signing him for the project. He got persuaded after watching the 1989 original starring Patrick Swayze.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani provided more details, tweeting: “Conor McGregor will make his motion picture acting debut along Jake Gyllenhaal in the 80’s classic “Road House” remake, it was announced today. Filming starts within the month. He will have a leading role.”
McGregor’s spokesperson, Karen Kessler, issued a statement to Helwani following the news:
“Conor McGregor is very excited to expand his storied career to Hollywood.
“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.”
McGregor had been linked to Hollywood for years
As the biggest draw in the sport, McGregor’s rise to the top was nothing short of phenomenal. Although he released a 2017 Netflix documentary, “Notorious,” and has shot numerous commercials for his business ventures, it will be the first time he’ll appear in a feature film.
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey was initially picked to play the lead role, but her knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 derailed the plans. Following Rousey’s absence from the project, the movie got shelved for years before being picked up and recast. The Amazon Original Movie will stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide at release.
McGregor had long been linked to a move over to the silver screen. However, he didn’t want to jump at the first chance he received.
He was supposed to make his film debut in “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage” but later withdrew after a loss to Nate Diaz in 2016. Former UFC middleweight king Michael Bisping replaced the 34-year-old Dubliner as he focused on preparing for the rematch with Diaz, which McGregor won by majority decision at UFC 202.
John Kavanagh, McGregor’s head coach, had recently reported that his most popular pupil was back to training in all facets of MMA. McGregor is expected to return to fighting later this year or early next year depending on how well the recovery goes.
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