Jake Gyllenhaal‘s acting career has followed one intriguing trend, which is surprisingly going to break with his returning action movie franchise on Prime Video.
With a career spanning over three decades, Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the most versatile actors of our time. He has played roles in almost every genre possible and never fails to impress with his performances. Although the actor always seems to approach his acting roles with an open mind, it looks like he has followed one unspoken rule throughout his career.
Interestingly, though, this rule has finally been broken after his confirmed return in Prime Video’s hit action franchise.
Jake Gyllenhaal Has Never Done Full-Fledged Sequels
Jake Gyllenhaal has over 50 acting credits under his belt. However, despite starring in so many movies, the actor has never appeared in a series or franchise twice. Some might argue that his brief role in Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s opening moments counts as a franchise return. But his appearance was limited to archival footage, suggesting he is yet to reprise a prominent role in a sequel.
Even on television, Jake Gyllenhaal was the lead in Apple TV’s Presumed Innocent season 1. In the same show’s season 2, though, he is not reprising his role and is not expected to return in any capacity.
Considering how Gyllenhaal has always been open to playing diverse roles, including the ones in superhero films, it is quite surprising that he has never been tied down to a major franchise. His Prince of Persia movie from 2010 could have marked the beginning of a franchise and given him a line of sequels. However, its initially planned sequels were ultimately abandoned due to the first film’s mediocre reviews and average box office numbers.
After all these years, this career trend for Jake Gyllenhaal is finally about to break because he is all set to return for Road House 2.
Road House 2 Will Be Gyllenhaal’s First Major Franchise Sequel
Jake Gyllenhaal is reprising his role as Dalton in the sequel to 2024’s Road House remake. While the movie is being directed by Ilya Naishuller, Will Beall is penning its script. According to recent reports, Road House 2 should be reaching the end of its filming soon and eyeing a late 2026 or early 2027 release. Alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, the sequel will also star Dave Bautista, Aldis Hodge, Iko Uwais, Leila George, Andrew Bachelor, Peter Sarsgaard, and Rob Delaney.
In terms of acclaim, Road House is far from being one of Jake Gyllenhaal’s best works. However, since it is the only movie franchise that is marking his return in a sequel, it is hard not to be excited about what it has in store for him and his character.
Road House 2‘s incredible cast already suggests the sequel will significantly raise the stakes, giving Gyllenhaal’s Dalton a bigger, more intense playground. This alone could make the film far better than the 2024 remake, allowing it to improve the franchise’s overall critical scores.
Hopefully, the Jake Gyllenhaal sequel will perform well enough to pave the way for the actor to return in more future installments of the Prime Video action franchise.