A lot of people are in agreement that Die Hard is the single greatest action movie ever made, but if you had everyone with an opinion compile a Top 10, then 99% of them would probably feature Speed.
Jan de Bont’s high concept masterpiece is as watchable now as it was when it first hit theaters in 1994, and remains a masterclass in taking a simple pitch and wringing every last drop of tension out of the premise, lacing the entire story with a barrage of spectacular action sequences for good measure, all held together by three excellent performances from Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper.
Reeves was smart enough to turn down the sequel, though, which was savaged by critics and bombed spectacularly. And at this stage, the most likely chance of seeing the property back on the big screen would be via a remake, but insider Daniel Richtman claims that Disney are actually considering dusting off Speed and mounting a third installment via the recently acquired 20th Century Studios, and the original leading man is apparently set to return as Jack Traven.
The internet’s favorite actor is no stranger to sequels, of course, having recently played Theodore ‘Ted’ Logan for the third time, while The Matrix 4 and John Wick: Chapter 4 are up next. Despite reprising several roles throughout his career, though, the 56 year-old has never shown much interest in revisiting Speed, but there’s no doubt his fans would love to see it and again, according to Richtman, he’s on board.
In any case, if you make a sequel to a Keanu classic without him then you end up with Cruise Control, and if you remake one of his best movies you get 2015’s dismal Point Break. So in other words, it simply has to be Keanu or bust for any new take on Speed, or it isn’t worth doing at all.
