When it comes to men and their fictional cars, there’s almost no more famous pairing than that of Michael Bay and his beloved Transformers movies. Ever since his action-packed 2007 reboot of the famous animated series, it’s become a staple of his filmmaking catalogue and yet another chance to show off his explosive on-screen expertise.
With his background, it’s no wonder the man created some of the best action movies of all time when behind the wheel.
But it looks like we just missed out on what could have potentially been the wildest action partnership of all time, with Bay admitting that he missed out on another vehicle-based venture which would have had none other than the unofficial ‘Prince of Adrenaline’ Keanu Reeves in the driver’s seat. (Okay, we’ll stop with the car puns.)
Whether he’s dodging bullets in The Matrix, giving the free-jumping Patrick Swayze a run for his money in Point Break, or embarking on some deliciously violent revenge in the upcoming John Wick 4, Keanu is no stranger to a good action flick.
So what was the film in question that nearly brought these two powerhouse action aficionados together? Only one of the best Keanu Reeves movies of all time: Speed.
Of all Keanu Reeves’ neck-breaking stunts and high-octane adventures, Speed races ahead of the rest. A city bus filled with passengers that will explode if it travels under 50mph? A concept that truly can’t be beaten. It almost seems a shame that Bay didn’t get to take the helm on this one, even if this particular bus can’t transform into a high-tech robot.
Turns out, Bay himself was hellbent on getting his hands on this one, as revealed in a Q+A panel [via Collider] after a preview screening of Ambulance. (Which is a solid instalment in the Bay line-up, by the way. Don’t believe us? Check out our Ambulance review!)
“The first movie I was going for with a vengeance was Speed. I lost that movie. Okay?” he responded when asked if there were any movies he would have liked to direct.
Still, it seems there are no hard feelings about the loss, as he went on to follow up with: “Jan de Bont did a great job.”
Although we’re bummed that this dream collaboration never came to life, we’re still obsessed with the edge-of-your-seat fuelled excitement that Speed has always blessed us with. On top of the star-studded cast that included Sandra Bullock (though she is still embarrassed by Speed 2), Jeff Daniels, and Dennis Hopper in addition to Reeves, it also gave us some of the most memorable moments in the genre that are forever embedded in our brains. (“Cans! It was cans!”)
Still, if you need a distraction from getting lost in thoughts of what could have been, why not mark the Transformers 7 release date on your calendar, or settle into a Keanu Reeves marathon with our guide on how to watch The Matrix movies in order.