“Speed 2” Saw Keanu Reeves Blacklisted
Few have had as sustained a career as Keanu Reeves has. Jumping from sci-fi comedy to arthouse to action and back again, the actor has crossed genres, starred in hits and flops, delivered performances both praised and panned, and most of all has done something few get to do in Hollywood – survive for decades.
Ahead of the third “John Wick” film, a new profile piece on the actor has gone up at
GQ and while it covers his entire career, one of the more interesting stories is about a film he didn’t end up starring in – “Speed 2: Cruise Control”.
Reeves was the male lead in the original 1994 high-intensity action thriller “Speed” which remains popular to many to this day. However, when 20th Century Fox approached him to do the follow-up, he turned down the infamously terrible sequel in favor of a stage production of “Hamlet” in Winnipeg.
That choice cost him – Reeves says the studio refused to work with him for another decade, even after the success of “The Matrix” trilogy and films like “Devil’s Advocate” at rival studios. He was effectively blacklisted and didn’t end up re-teaming with Fox until 2008’s “The Day the Earth Stood Still” remake.
Reeves had the last laugh though with the “Speed” follow-up, with Jason Patric taking over the male lead role, crashing and burning at the box-office and being eviscerated by critics. At 54, Reeves is still very much going strong and the actor reportedly has no plans on slowing down.
