Speed 2: why Keanu Reeves turned it down
"I decided not to be in that", says Keanu Reeves of Speed 2. And he's explained why...
Keanu Reeves has touched once or twice in the past on why he elected not to star in 1997’s ill-fated Speed 2: Cruise Control. The movie, which saw director Jan De Bont and co-star Sandra Bullock move the series forward, was a notable dud. And whilst there’s occasional talk of Speed 3, nothing ever happened. Speed 2: Cruise Control was a bona fide franchise killer.
Reeves’ new film, Knock Knock, is finally getting a US release. Eli Roth directed the movie, which appeared in the UK earlier this year. As part of his promotional work for the movie, Reeves appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in the US, and talked about the Speed sequel.
“I didn’t get to be in that”, he recalled, adding “well, I decided not to be in that”.
“I loved working with Jan de Bont and Sandra, of course. It was just a situation in life where I got the script and I read the script and I was like ‘ugggghhh’. It was about a cruise ship and I was thinking, ‘a bus, a cruise ship… Speed, bus, but then a cruise ship is even slower than a bus and I was like, ‘I love you guys but I just can’t do it”.
Reeves’ opinions at the time would ultimately be reflected by many of the reviews the movie attracted. Still, the original Speed is still fun…
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Editor, author, writer, broadcaster, Costner fanatic. Now runs Film Stories Magazine.