Time and time again, Keanu Reeves proved to Hollywood that he’s willing to do things his way, and not there way. That was especially evident for Speed 2 as despite a huge $12 million offer, the actor still said no to the project.We’ll take a look at why he said no, and how FOX put him in movie jail because of it… Don’t feel too bad, as a certain Matrix film was looming on the horizon shortly after.As for Sandra Bullock, she wasn’t as lucky… the actress has made it clear even still today, she regrets taking on the Speed 2 project.We’ll take a look back at why the film failed along with taking a closer look as to why the actress agreed to take on the sequel, despite the bad script.
Keanu Reeves Turned Down $12 Million For The Speed Sequel
Following the success of Speed, it only made sense that a sequel was talked about. However, from Keanu’s standpoint, the script just wasn’t up to par, at least in terms of what he had envisioned.
FOX made a huge offer to the film star, worth $12 million. Motivated by his craft, Keanu still said no, not grasping the script.
“At the time I didn’t respond to the script. I really wanted to work with Sandra Bullock, I loved playing Jack Traven, and I loved Speed, but an ocean liner? I had nothing against the artists involved, but at that time I had the feeling it just wasn’t right,” he said, per CNN.
in 1995 budding starlet Keanu Reeves turned down Speed 2 to play Hamlet @MTCwinnipeg 👑 pic.twitter.com/44kR4MaDTR — spectres be haunting (@roadtoserfdumb) December 25, 2021
Reeves further stated that he would have loved to reconnected with Bullock on the big-screen but again, the script turned out to be the major hurdle he just couldn’t pass.
“I loved working with [director] 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, ‘Ugh.’ 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.’ ”
As a result, Keanu stated that he was put in movie jail by FOX, not appearing in a film for the studio until The Day the Earth Stood Still, in 2008!
Sandra Bullock instead, opted to take a different approach.
Sandra Bullock Accepted Speed 2 To Get Financing For Her Project Hope Floats
Looking back, Sandra Bullock calls the film her biggest regret… Alongside EW, the actress discussed the fact that she should have said no to the project at the start.
“I have one that no one came around to, and I’m still embarrassed that I was in, it’s called Speed 2, and I’m very vocal about it. Makes no sense: slow boat, slowly going towards an island.”
“That’s one that I wished I hadn’t done, and no fans came around that I know of, except for you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Money might’ve been the biggest motivation as to why Bullock accepted the film in the first place. She added to her net worth, making a whopping $11.5 million for the lackluster project. Not only that, but according to IMDb,the role helped fund her next pet project, Hope Floats.
“Sandra Bullock agreed to star in this film in order to get financing for her pet project Hope Floats (1998),” IMDb stated.
Unfortunately, not even Bullock’s star power could have saved the sinking ship, while Keanu jumped off at the perfect time.
Speed 2 Turned Into A Mess In Terms Of Reviews And At The Box Office
Despite a good cast and Jan de Bont behind the camera, the 1997 film was a major failure. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 4%, while the likes of IMDb rated the movie a 3.9 on 10, which might be generous compared to other scores out there…
In terms of budget costs, the film did not cheap out in any way, as the production and everything in between was valued at $110 million. This makes the box office number of $164 million very underwhelming.
Those kinds of numbers don’t even compare to the first film, which had a third of the budget, valued between $30 million and $37 million. In terms of its appeal at the box office, the 1994 film became a classic and filled up movie theaters, with a box office number of $350 million.
To sum up, the chances of Speed 3 are slim… unless maybe Keanu can save the day.
