Forget John Wick 5, This Is The Sequel Keanu Reeves Needs To Make Next

Keanu Reeves has seen his career go from strength to strength through the power of sequels, and his next sequel should be Speed 3. Speed was one of the best action movies of the 1990s, and like many great action movies, it had a simple premise. A city bus is rigged to explode if it goes below 50 miles per hour, while an LAPD officer and a passenger work together to bring the situation under control. Neither Keanu Reeves nor Sandra Bullock were considered action stars at the time, and Speed added a new dimension to their careers.

Speed was a critical and box office success, and while Keanu Reeves was not in Speed 2: Cruise Control, the sequel starred Sandra Bullock, who reprised her original role as Annie. Unfortunately, Speed 2 was critically panned, earning just a 4% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie was such a failure that many fans and critics disowned it. However, the original movie was so popular that there is still demand for a sequel. Both Reeves and Bullock have expressed interest in Speed 3, with Reeves saying “we’d freakin’ knock it out of the park.”

Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock Must Reunite For A Real Speed Sequel

Both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock Want To Make Speed 3

Sequels have often had a bad reputation in the movie industry. That said, when they work well, they can give new life to a franchise. Some of the best movie sequels of all time have surpassed the original movie, especially when fan-favorite characters return. Unlike many 1990s action movies, the central plot for Speed is so simple and versatile that it could be modernized and reworked for the digital age. If both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunited for Speed 3, the sequel could eclipse the failure of Speed 2, even rebooting the franchise.

While Speed 3 has not happened yet, the idea has not been ruled out. Both Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock have said they would star in Speed 3 if the idea excited them. 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell told The Hollywood Reporter, “They’d have to be a part of the development of that idea.” While Bullock had signed up for the 1997 sequel, Reeves had turned it down, saying that it just wasn’t right. Many critics felt that Reeves’ absence was the reason for the failure of Speed 2, but other factors also made it a box office flop.

Why Speed 2 Was Such A Bad Movie Compared To The 1994 Classic

Speed 3 Must Change The Movie’s Vehicle To Something New

Speed was set on a bus, but Speed 2 moved the action to a cruise ship, which reviewers generally regarded as a bad decision. The original movie’s high stakes came from factors like traffic, Annie’s lack of experience as a bus driver, and the speed that the bus had to maintain. A cruise ship is much slower than a bus, with far fewer obstacles to hit in the ocean, making the action feel less urgent. While a bomb expert gave Speed a “zero” for realism, the movie was intense and entertaining, which could not be said for Speed 2.

To make a Speed sequel, a fast-moving vehicle must be central to the plot. The bus has been done before, and a cruise ship was the wrong vehicle, so Speed 3 must use something else. Since Speed, many action movies have been set on aircraft, so that may not be the freshest idea. Speed 3 must revisit some of Speed‘s best plot points, with another factor being the confined space. The Italian Job proved that very small cars had great potential for stunts, so this could be an option that provides a small space, stunts, and high stakes.

Speed 3 Would Continue Keanu Reeves’ Trend Of Revisiting Iconic Characters

Sandra Bullock Rarely Does Sequels But She Is Also Revisiting Another Of Her Characters

Keanu Reeves sequels have often defied the bad reputation that many sequels have had. Neo is one of Keanu Reeves’ best characters, and The Matrix: Resurrections received better reviews than the previous Matrix sequel. Bill & Ted Face The Music was an unexpected critical hit, with Reeves returning to play Ted, his goofiest character. Keanu Reeves seems set to continue his sequel trend, also stating a wish to play John Constantine again. Speed 3 would continue this trend, and if Sandra Bullock was also to star, the Speed sequel would be off to a good start.

Sandra Bullock rarely does sequels, and the two that she has appeared in so far have not been well-received. In addition to Speed 2, Bullock also starred in Miss Congeniality 2, which was critically panned, though her performance was praised. That said, she has been confirmed for Practical Magic 2, and while Ocean’s 8 is technically a sequel, it works as a standalone movie, surpassing other Ocean’s 11 sequels. With more attention being paid to sequels and their power to revitalize a franchise, Speed 3 has the potential to be a fast success if its two main stars return.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, The Hollywood Reporter