50 Fun Facts About Speed Movie

Below what speed will the bomb on the bus in Speed detonate?

Screenwriter Graham Yost first imagined 20 mph until a friend suggested raising it. The bomb arms once the bus first passes the threshold.

Speed was the directorial debut of which Die Hard cinematographer?

John McTiernan turned the script down as too close to Die Hard and recommended his old cameraman instead. Michael Bay had also shown interest.

What is the name of the ex-cop bomber played by Dennis Hopper?

He is a former Atlanta bomb-squad officer forcibly retired after an accident, bitter about being paid off with 'a cheap gold watch'. Hopper had starred with Reeves in River's Edge in 1986.

How much ransom does the bomber demand in Speed?

He collects it through a hole under a trash can that leads into the subway. A dye pack in the duffel bag later explodes in his face.

How many people are trapped in the rigged elevator in Speed's opening sequence?

De Bont suggested the elevator opening after being stuck in one himself while working on Die Hard. An 80-foot model of a 50-storey shaft was built for it.

Which 1985 film, misremembered by Graham Yost's father as involving a bomb, inspired Speed?

His father was Canadian TV host Elwy Yost. Graham thought the idea would work better on a bus. The 1975 Japanese film The Bullet Train uses the same 50 mph device.

What was the film's working title before Yost changed it?

He dropped it to avoid the negative connotations of the word 'minimum'. His first draft never left the bus, ending with a crash into the Hollywood Sign.

Which studio passed on Speed, believing audiences would not watch a film set almost entirely on a bus?

Fox picked it up but asked for action beyond the bus, which is how the elevator and subway sequences were added.

Which writer reworked the dialogue a week before filming and came up with 'Pop quiz, hotshot'?

He also turned Jack from a maverick hotshot into a polite, earnest officer and rewrote Alan Ruck's character from an unpleasant lawyer into a hapless tourist.

Which character was originally intended to be Speed's villain before Dennis Hopper was cast?

Jeff Daniels' bomb-squad partner instead stays loyal and dies in a booby-trapped house. Jack shoots him in the leg in the opening to end a hostage stand-off.

Which actor was attached to star in Speed at the first studio, before being dropped when Fox took over?

Baldwin then declined, finding the role too close to John McClane, and Grieco turned it down and later regretted it. Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Woody Harrelson were also considered.

Which 1991 film convinced Jan de Bont to cast Keanu Reeves as Jack Traven?

De Bont saw a balance of vulnerability and strength. Reeves cut his hair short for the part, which worried the studio.

How was Annie's character originally written, to explain why she could drive a bus?

Halle Berry was offered that version and declined. As the part became comic relief, Ellen DeGeneres was considered, before it became a love interest and went to Sandra Bullock.

Which of these actresses was offered or considered for Annie and declined?

Kim Basinger and Anne Heche were also in the mix. Bullock auditioned alongside Reeves, performing physically demanding scenes to test their chemistry.

Whose death during production led Jan de Bont to give Keanu Reeves less demanding scenes for a while?

Reeves' close friend died in October 1993, midway through the shoot. De Bont said the loss left Reeves quieter and withdrawn.

Which stunt did Keanu Reeves secretly rehearse and then perform himself, against de Bont's wishes?

He had told de Bont 'I'm not an action hero. I don't like it', which the director thought suited a character thrust into an extraordinary situation.

How many GM New Look buses did the production use, alongside three Grumman 870s?

Two were destroyed in explosions and others were adapted for high-speed, interior and under-bus shots. One sold at auction for $102,000 in 2018.

The film's fictional route '33 Downtown' was modelled on which real bus service?

Two of the production's buses were blown up for real; the interior and 'under bus' shots used specially adapted vehicles.

The freeway scenes were shot at a junction that was still under construction. Which one?

De Bont saw the unfinished sections on a location scout and suggested adding a bus jump. It links Interstate 105 and Interstate 110.

How was the gap in the freeway that the bus jumps created?

Sony Pictures Imageworks helped add the gap; the real jump was off a ramp on a rigged bus, filmed in one take with the driver in a shock-absorbing harness.

What went wrong on the first attempt at the bus jump, according to de Bont's DVD commentary?

A second bus was prepared and the successful jump two days later flew further than expected, destroying one camera; another camera 90 feet away caught it.

What did a 2009 episode of MythBusters conclude about Speed's bus jump?

The film's own version needed a ramp, a rigged bus and CGI to remove it. The rest of the movie's freeway driving was done for real on the unfinished 105.

Which airfield stood in for LAX in Speed's final bus scenes?

The bus finally crashes into a cargo plane there and explodes after the passengers escape via a looped video feed trick.

How were most shots of the Metro Red Line subway in the climax created?

Only the train's derailment jump was done differently. The train ends up crashing out onto Hollywood Boulevard in front of a tour van.

How does the bomber die in Speed?

Jack pushes him up into the tunnel roof during their fight. Jack then accelerates the runaway train so it derails onto Hollywood Boulevard.

How does Jack save himself and Annie when the subway train cannot be stopped?

The train bursts onto Hollywood Boulevard and stops in front of a tour van, and the pair share a kiss as onlookers stare. The ending was inspired by 1976's Silver Streak.

Which composer scored Speed after de Bont chose him over Michael Kamen?

He had been working within Hans Zimmer's team on Days of Thunder and True Romance. An expanded 32-track release of the score came out in 2012, including Billy Idol's song 'Speed'.

Which rock singer recorded a song called 'Speed' for the film's soundtrack?

The 'songs from and inspired by' album came out in June 1994 and went gold in Japan. Mark Mancina's score got its own separate release in August.

Which Academy Award did Speed win at the 67th Oscars?

It also won Best Sound and Best Editing at the BAFTAs. The AFI later ranked it 99th on its list of 100 Thrills.

Roughly how much did Speed gross worldwide against a budget of about $30-37M?

$121.3 million came from the US and Canada and $229.2 million from overseas, making it the fifth-biggest film of 1994. It stayed No. 1 for ten weeks in Japan.

Which film knocked Speed off the top of the US box office in its second weekend?

Speed had opened at No. 1 with $14.5 million over The Flintstones and City Slickers II. It held second even when The Lion King arrived a week later.

Speed remained Sandra Bullock's highest-grossing film until which 2013 release overtook it?

Speed's $350 million stood for nearly two decades. Bullock returned for Speed 2 reportedly in exchange for backing on another project.

What grade did CinemaScore audiences give Speed on release?

Critics agreed: Roger Ebert gave it four stars and called it 'manic exhilaration', and it holds 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Which director named Speed one of the top 20 films he had seen between 1992 and 2009?

Empire put it at No. 451 in its 500 Greatest Movies list, and the BBC's Mark Kermode called it a 'timeless masterpiece' in 2017.

Who played Annie's new boyfriend Alex Shaw in Speed 2 after Keanu Reeves declined to return?

The story explained that Annie and Jack had split over his dangerous job. Willem Dafoe played the villain and the film sits at 4% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Which actor from the first film cameos in Speed 2 as the same character, losing a boat instead of a car?

He played the Jaguar owner whose car Jack commandeers in the original. Speed 2 came out on June 13, 1997, to overwhelmingly negative reviews.

Which 2020 film opens with a nod to Speed, showing the exploding bus and quoting 'Pop quiz, hotshot'?

Sonic repeats the line and uses it later in a bar fight. De Bont, Reeves and Bullock reunited for a 30th-anniversary Q&A in October 2024.

The helicopter used in Speed was later sold in 1995 to a force in which city?

The MD520N, registration N599DB, stayed in service there until 2006 before passing to a private owner.

Which Greek myth did Yost say inspired Jack Traven's deceptive opening elevator trick against the bomber?

Fox had asked for action beyond the bus, and Yost used the new opening to establish Jack's cleverness rather than just his bravery.

When did principal photography on Speed take place?

It was shot entirely in and around Los Angeles. The film premiered on June 7, 1994 and opened three days later in 2,138 theaters.

How did Whedon change Alan Ruck's character Doug Stephens?

He also stripped out forced one-liners. The bus passengers' scenes are largely his rewrite.

Which 1975 Japanese thriller is cited as a major inspiration for Speed?

Graham Yost's original draft kept the whole film on the bus, which was meant to crash into the Hollywood Sign.

Which 1976 comedy-thriller inspired the ending of Speed?

Yost first imagined a bomb that armed below 20 mph before a friend suggested raising the threshold to 50.

Which Die Hard director declined Speed, feeling it was too similar, and recommended Jan de Bont?

Michael Bay had also expressed interest in directing the film.

Who was first offered Jack Traven but declined, citing the part's similarity to John McClane?

Richard Grieco also turned down the role and later expressed regret; Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks were considered too.

Which actress was first offered the role of Annie, declined, and later regretted it?

Ellen DeGeneres was considered once Annie evolved into a comic sidekick, before the part became a love interest for Sandra Bullock.

For how much was one of the buses used in Speed auctioned in 2018?

Two of the film's buses were destroyed in explosions, while others were adapted for high-speed, interior and under-bus shots.

For how many consecutive weeks did Speed stay number one at the Japanese box office?

It also topped the Australian chart for eight straight weeks and set Fox opening records in South Korea, Brazil and South Africa.

Alongside its sound award, in which category did Speed win at the 48th BAFTAs?

Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, calling it 'manic exhilaration'.

Which actor turned down the villain role in Speed 2 to play another villain in Air Force One?

Willem Dafoe took the part of John Geiger, and Keanu Reeves had refused a $12 million offer to return.