Keanu Reeves on the “tough decision” to turn down ‘Speed 2’
Maybe we’re all just living in Keanu Reeves’ matrix. After all, the Hollywood star remains as beloved today as he was during his rise into the industry in the late 1980s. Just how has he retained such an international allure? Having fought personal struggles and the weight of Hollywood pressure, it appears as though Reeves hasn’t been too marred by the intense glow of the industry lights, seeming just as personable as always.
Flourishing to prominence throughout the late 1990s, Reeves has grown into quite the cultural figure, garnering much attention for his influence in everything from Pixar’s Toy Story 4 to the video game Cyberpunk 2077, where he became the flagbearer of the popular (if troubled) release. With a childlike sense of wonder, Reeves is much-liked in the industry, thanks to such hits as The Matrix and John Wick franchises, even if his acting credentials have long been called into question.
Operating on the fringes of Hollywood, Reeves feels as much a fan of cinema as does an actor, regularly speaking to the media about his experience growing as an actor.
Following the release of Point Break in 1991, Reeves became a bonafide Hollywood star thanks to the release of Speed in 1994. The Jan de Bont film, co-starring Dennis Hopper and Sandra Bullock, gained commercial and critical acclaim. Earning $350 million from a humble budget, 20th Century Fox understandably was keen for a sequel with all the returning cast members, though unfortunately for them, Reeves wasn’t too keen.
In a conversation with Willie Geist on his Sunday Sitdown podcast in August 2020, Reeves revealed that he feared for the rest of his career after he turned down Speed 2, later subtitled Cruise Control. “It was a tough decision,” the actor told Geist, adding, “I really had an amazing time filming and making Speed. It did pretty well, so there was a ‘let’s do it again’”.
Though Reeves was disappointed to realise that the sequel could be tricky with his busy schedule. He added, “Then I was doing a film at the time called Chain Reaction, and I was in Chicago, and I read the script. That film was pretty physical. It was a lot of running and cold. So they showed me the script, and I just didn’t see it. I didn’t get it. So I couldn’t do it”.
Turning down an offer of $11 million to do the sequel, Reeves believed that he was punished by 20th Century Fox as a result of the snub, with the actor not working with the studio again until 2008s, The Day the Earth Stood Still with Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith. “I didn’t work at Fox for 15 years after that,” the actor reveals, getting his figures slightly wrong, “I believe so, but I don’t know. It’s only a theory. I ended up working there again, but it took 15 years”.
Speed 2: Cruise Control was eventually released in 1997, with Reeves being replaced in the lead role by the underwhelming Jason Patric. Sandra Bullock was the only returning cast member of the sequel, which took place on a speeding boat instead of a bomb-strapped bus. Unfortunately, the film failed to make a splash, despite the presence of new faces Willem Dafoe and Temuera Morrison.
