Keanu Reeves has joked that he could return for a hypothetical third Speed movie. The action movie star was chatting to Extra about returning to The Matrix, the science fiction movie series that helped make him a star, when he was asked if he’d consider making Speed 3.
“I can’t say never, because I’m standing here for Matrix Resurrections,” he said. “At the end of the [Matrix] trilogy, I did die, so you can’t say never.” Reeves is right; bringing him back for a third Speed movie wouldn’t be as narratively tricky as resurrecting Neo for The Matrix 4. Last we saw Reeves’ Speed character Officer Jack Traven he was alive and well after successfully rescuing everyone from an exploding bus.
Reeves was supposed to return for the sequel – Speed 2: Cruise Control – alongside his co-star Sandra Bullock, but he pulled out after reading the script. History would vindicate Reeves’ decision. While Speed is widely considered one of the best action-thriller movies of all time, its sequel is widely derided. In fact, that’s an understatement; it’s considered one of the worst sequels ever made.
Boasting a pitiful 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was slated by critics. Most pointed to the ludicrous concept – an out of control cruise ship – which rehashed the first film’s premise while making it less exciting. While Speed frequently features on lists of the best movies ever made, Cruise Control is often included on lists of the worst.
General audiences also hated Speed 2, and the film earned a paltry $164 million at the worldwide box office against a reported production budget of $160 million. Still, it did manage to earn some award nominations. Unfortunately, those awards were Razzies, and it went on to win the Worst Remake or Sequel gong.
While Reeves might be open to returning, we doubt anyone else will be speeding to the theatres to see a third Speed movie. Matrix 4 is in cinemas now and streaming on HBO Max.