Film executive Steve Asbell has revealed a third ‘Speed’ movie is not out of the question.
Fans of the 1994 action flick - which starred Keanu Reeves, 60, and Sandra Bullock, also 60 - have been patiently waiting for another instalment in the series after the disappointing 1997 sequel ‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’, and now the 20th Century Studios boss has insisted a third film is possible, but only if they find an idea that "excites" the two actors.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Asbell said of ‘Speed’: "It is one of those last movies that we haven’t remade. And to really be a reason to come back, it’s got to be a great idea and an idea that excites [Reeves and Bullock].
"Because that’d be the reason to see it. It’s obviously a really important title for us, but it’s not something we would handle lightly or just try to press them into service. They’d have to be a part of the development of that idea."
At a recent screening for the film to mark its 30th anniversary, Bullock suggested that Hollywood "wasn’t brave enough" to make a third entry into the series.
However, Asbell insisted 20th Century was certainly willing to give it a go and added that the studio was "sitting by the phone" waiting to hear ideas for the possible blockbuster.
He said: "Hollywood is brave enough. We are brave enough. We are sitting by the phone."
Bullock had reasoned the industry wouldn’t be "willing to tolerate" director Jan de Bont’s bombastic ideas for a third film because it would "require a lot from everybody".
She explained: "All these things happened because the crazy man [de Bont] in the greenish jacket over there. He’s so soft and gentle today and I’m like, ‘That’s not the man I remember.’ But he’s the man who put the energy and the idea together, knew what the audience wanted and demanded it from everyone and everyone stepped up to play it.
"So what would that movie be that would make Jan’s brain and brilliance happy? It would require a lot from everybody.
"I don’t know if we’re in an industry anymore that’s willing to tolerate it and be brave enough to do it."
