Ronda Rousey update: 'Road House' remake to be directed by Nick Cassavetes

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The remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film "Road House" has found a writer and director in Nick Cassavetes, Variety reports. Road House was originally directed by Gladiator's Rowdy Herrington and written by David Lee Henry and Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee Hilary Henkin. Road House followed Patrick Swayze's James Dalton as he went up against a wealthy and corrupt businessman played by Ben Gazzara to protect the small town he moved to.

Cassavetes, whose credits include films that showcase male leads such as Alpha Dog (2006) and John Q (2002), was said to be chosen by MGM to write and helm Roadhouse because of his skill in writing strong roles for women, such as those in The Notebook (2004) and The Other Woman (2014), both of which he directed.

The film will be the first lead role for Ronda Rousey, who believes that changing the gender of the characters in Road House would be a good re-envisioning of the movie.

IGN reports that according to the UFC champ, "I was pursuing Road House for like, two years. I really don't think that any other man could be [Patrick Swayze]. I think it's a wise angle to take to kind of do a little gender flip of the role."

In July, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Rousey will star alongside Mark Wahlberg in the upcoming Peter Berg action film, Mile 22. The film follows a "CIA agent (Wahlberg) stationed in Indonesia who is tasked with transporting a compromised informant from the center of the city to an awaiting getaway plane at an airport 22 miles away. While en route, they must battle corrupt police, criminal overlords and heavily armed locals, all hell-bent on taking them out before they reach their plane."

ET reports that according to Rousey, "I'm really looking forward to doing my first starring role opposite Mark Wahlberg. Hopefully by the time Captain Marvel comes around, I will have enough experience and skills in the field for them to really seriously consider me."

Rousey has previously appeared in films such as The Expendables 3, Furious 7, and Entourage, and has had her eyes on the Captain Marvel role for several months now, IGN reports. She hopes that her film work would help her eventually land the role of Carol Danvers.

In fact, it seems Rousey is on the right track, as Marvel executive Kevin Fiege recently expressed his approval of her as Captain Marvel, Moviepilot reports.

"I love it. That happens occasionally, and I think that’s a testament more to the strength of the characters," Fiege said. "Going back to my early days at Marvel, there were always various people campaigning to be Wolverine. I guess that was pre-Twitter and pre-Internet days, but still for some reason would pop up in Wizard Magazine. Wizard Magazine would always have ‘this person wants to play this role!’ It’s a testament to how great the characters are that it appeals to such a wide range of talented, talented people."

Rousey is currently training for her upcoming fight against Holly Holm at UFC 193 on Nov. 14.