‘Road House’ Screenwriter Sues Amazon MGM Studios Over Copyright Infringement Claims

An Amazon Prime Video logo is displayed on a Sony Xperia Z5 premium during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on March 1, 2017. (Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)

Amazon Prime Video’s soon-to-be-released remake of the 1989 cult classic “Road House,” originally starring Patrick Swayze, has found itself embroiled in controversy.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its parent company, Amazon, makers of the reimagined film, which boasts an ensemble cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, have been hit with a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Screenwriter R. Lance Hill, who goes by the pen name David Lee Henry, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming MGM Studios and Amazon (which acquired the production company in 2021) refused to license his screenplay for the 1989 film, which Mr. Hill co-wrote with Hilary Henkin, per the AFI Catalog. Mr. Hill is solely credited for the movie’s storyline.

In the original film, Swayze, who passed away in September 2009, plays James Dalton, a bouncer with a degree in Philosophy who is hired to clean up the Double Deuce, a rowdy roadside bar tucked away in small-town Missouri.

In 2021, Mr. Hill reportedly filed a petition with the U.S. Copyright Office to reclaim the rights to the screenplay, due to expire in 2023, from United Artists—the MGM-owned production and distribution company that released the original movie.

The screenwriter further alleges that Amazon and MGM ignored his copyright claims and “steamrolled ahead with the production of a remake of the 1989 Film derived from Hill’s Screenplay,” per the Hollywood Reporter. He reportedly claimed the companies went so far as to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to complete the project, which stalled amid the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

A spokesperson for Amazon MGM Studios told The Epoch Times via email that the lawsuit was “completely without merit” and that “numerous allegations are categorically false.”

“The film does not use any AI in place of actors’ voices. We look forward to defending ourselves against these claims.

“If at any time AI was utilized, it would have been by the filmmakers (while editing early cuts of the film) and not the studio as they controlled the editorial,” the email continued.

“In fact, the studio expressly instructed the filmmakers to NOT use AI in this movie. Filmmakers were advised by the studio to take everything out of the cut of the film, either AI or non-SAG AFTRA actors to complete the film.”

The spokesperson noted that the company doesn’t “believe the copyright termination is effective” and plans to “vigorously contest [its] rights in the property.”

‘Road House’ Controversies

In addition to Mr. Gyllenhaal stepping in to fill Swayze’s shoes, the upcoming reboot of “Road House” stars legendary UFC fighter Conor McGregor, Billy Magnussen (“No Time to Die”), Daniela Melchior (“Fast X”), and singer Post Malone, among others.

Mr. Hill is reportedly seeking a court order to impede the film’s release, slated for March 8 with its debut at the Austin, Texas-based film festival South by Southwest, followed by a streaming release on Prime Video on March 21.

However, the impending lawsuit isn’t the only controversy the remake is facing. Last month, Deadline published an op-ed penned by the film’s director, Doug Liman, who directed “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (2005), “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014), and “American Made” (2017), among others.

In his op-ed, Mr. Liman announced he would be boycotting the movie’s premiere at South by Southwest over Amazon’s decision to stream the film on Prime Video instead of giving it a theatrical release.

“The facts: I signed up to make a theatrical motion picture for MGM. Amazon bought MGM. Amazon said make a great film and we will see what happens. I made a great film,” Mr. Liman wrote. He asserted that “contrary to their public statements,” Amazon had “no interest in supporting cinemas.”

“Amazon asked me and the film community to trust them and their public statements about supporting cinemas, and then they turned around and are using Road House to sell plumbing fixtures,” he wrote.

The director said Amazon’s decision “hurts the filmmakers and stars” of the reboot.

“And they deprive Jake Gyllenhaal—who gives a career-best performance—the opportunity to be recognized come award season,” he added. “But the impact goes far beyond this one movie. This could be industry shaping for decades to come.”

In response, Mr. Gyllenhaal gave Total Film a contradictory perspective, saying Amazon had made it clear from the get-go that “Road House” would be streamed on Prime Video.

“I adore Doug’s tenacity, and I think he is advocating for filmmakers, and film in the cinema, and theatrical releases. But, I mean, Amazon was always clear that it was streaming,” he told the magazine.

“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,” the actor 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.”