The President of 20th Century Studios has given an update on popular franchises like Die Hard, Speed, and Kingsman. 2024 has been a successful year for the studio with the releases of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Alien: Romulus, and The First Omen. You can even factor in Deadpool & Wolverine since it helped transition Fox’s Marvel movies over to Disney and Marvel Studios. As 20th Century preps for the premiere of two Predator movies next year, the person running the show took time to update fans on three overlooked franchises with a dedicated fanbase.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to 20th Century Studios President Steve Asbell, and during a lightning round the topics shifted to franchises under the company’s umbrella. We got to learn what the future holds for new installments of Kingsman, Die Hard, and Speed.
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When asked about sequels or prequels to Kingsman, Asbell said, “There’s no plans on doing them anytime soon.” Die Hard got a similar response: “No, not yet.”
Speed is one of the more cherished franchises under the 20th Century Studios umbrella, and fans have longed to see Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunited on the big screen. Bullock was a part of a 30th anniversary screening of Speed recently, and she said Hollywood may not be brave enough for a third installment.
“Hollywood is brave enough. We are brave enough. We are sitting by the phone. (Laughs),” Asbell said. “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 (Bullock and Keanu Reeves). 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.”
While new Kingsman and Die Hard movies would be cool to see, the real prize is getting Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves back for more Speed. We’ve already had multiple Kingsman and Die Hard films within the last decade or so, but there’s only been two Speed movies, and the second one underperformed when compared to its predecessor. That can be attributed to Jason Patric replacing Keanu Reeves.
But as Asbell noted, 20th Century isn’t going to put out a half-hearted effort to get the Speed franchise back going again. If there ever is another film, it has to be something that Reeves and Bullock are both on board for, and they will be a part of the creative process in getting it made. If that were to happen, there’s no doubt that it could add to 20th Century’s recent run of theatrical success.
