In a new chat with The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios boss, Steve Asbell, discussed what it would take for ‘Speed 3’ to happen.
“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,” he explained. “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).”
Asbell continued, “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.”
Steve’s comments came after Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock talked about a new ‘Speed’ movie. At a screening for the 30th anniversary of ‘Speed,’ Reeves and Bullock met with the director, Jan de Bont. Bullock joked that a new movie would be a geriatric version and not fast, while Reeves mentioned it might be about ‘retirement.’
“So what would that movie be that would make Jan’s brain and brilliance happy?” Bullock said. “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. I don’t know what we could do that would be good enough for the audience.”
So, there’s still hope for the ‘Speed’ series. After the success of the first ‘Speed’ movie, a sequel called ‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’ came out on June 13, 1997, but it wasn’t as successful. Many think it didn’t do well because Reeves wasn’t in it.
In the sequel, Jason Patric took Reeves’ place, while Bullock returned. The sequel made only $164.5 million against a $160 million budget, while the first ‘Speed’ made over $350 million on a budget of less than $40 million. You can watch the first ‘Speed’ movie on Hulu.
