20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell has offered a promising update regarding the possibility of a third movie in the action movie franchise, Speed. During a lengthy interview with THR, in which Asbell offered updates on some of the biggest franchises, including Predator, Alien, and Planet of the Apes, the studio president declared that, despite what some may think, they are brave enough to bring Speed 3 to the big screen. So long as the idea is good enough, of course. Nobody wants another Speed 2: Cruise Control.
“Hollywood is brave enough. We are brave enough. We are sitting by the phone. (Laughs)
It is one of those last movies that we haven’t remade. And to really be a reason to come back, it’s got to be a great idea and an idea that excites (Bullock and Keanu Reeves). Because that’d be the reason to see it. It’s obviously a really important title for us, but it’s not something we would handle lightly or just try to press them into service. They’d have to be a part of the development of that idea.”
Asbell is referring to what Speed star Sandra Bullock said of a possible third movie while on stage with co-star Keanu Reeves and director Jan de Bont for a special screening of the hit 1994 action hit at Beyond Fest. Incidentally, this was the first time the trio had ever shared the same stage. Celebrating Speed’s 30th anniversary, Bullock declared that Hollywood is no longer “brave enough” to make a legacy threequel to the movie about a bus that wouldn’t slow down.
“The geriatric version. It won’t be fast. All these things happened because the crazy man in the greenish jacket over there. He’s so soft and gentle today and I’m like, that’s not the man I remember. But he’s the man who put the energy and the idea together, knew what the audience wanted and demanded it from everyone and everyone stepped up to play it. So what would that movie be that would make Jan’s brain and brilliance happy?
It would require a lot from everybody. I don’t know if we’re in an industry anymore that’s willing to tolerate it and be brave enough to do it. Maybe I could be wrong. … If he can’t make [what’s in his brain] for the audience, then he’s failed it felt like. I don’t know what we could do that would be good enough for the audience.”
Speed Remains a Beloved Action Movie Classic
Released in 1994, Speed stars Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper, and Jeff Daniels, and finds Reeves’ LAPD SWAT officer Jack Traven at the center of a deliciously high concept. Thanks to a bomb-making terrorist out for revenge, the arrogant cop must stop a bus from dropping below 50 miles per hour, or it’ll explode. The action outing was met with both critical acclaim and box office success, and while a sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control, was released in 1997, Reeves’ absence resulted in the movie being considered one of the worst sequels of all time.
While there is no word yet about a Speed 3, Asbell is clearly open to the idea. But what might the sequel be about? Well, just last year, the writer behind the first outing, Graham Yost, playfully offered his thoughts, taking some inspiration from Reeves’ hugely successful John Wick franchise.
“I think what Keanu said was, ‘If the script was good enough,’ and that’s what it really comes down to. I mean, what do you do? My old joke for Speed 3 was, ‘This time, it’s 60,’ and that’s it. Just a little faster, but it’s all the same damn thing. And everyone involved is 60. It’s like when you see John Wick; each one is the same movie basically, but they’re great. I enjoy them, they’re brutal.”