Actor Keanu Reeves has revealed 20th Century Fox avoided working with him after he declined to star in Speed 2.
The film was a follow-up to Reeves' 1994 action blockbuster Speed which also featured Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock and Jeff Daniels. It raked in more than USD 121 million at the box office and was universally praised by the critics.
In its May issue, GQ magazine quoted the 54-year-old actor saying the term of movie jail lasted for 14 years.
"I didn't work with (Fox) again until The Day the Earth Stood Still," Reeves said. It was widely reported in the '90s that Reeves was offered a great deal of money for the sequel but he instead chose to work in the regional production of Shakespeare's Hamlet in Winnipeg, Canada.
The studio later cast Jason Patric opposite Bullock, who reprised her role from the original, for the sequel. The film, titled Speed 2: Cruise Control, released in 1997 but was a big financial disappointment for Fox. Critics had also blasted the film for its story and action.
In the interview with the magazine, the actor also said that though, he has not done a studio film since 2013's 47 Ronin, he is no longer finds himself in a "movie jail."
"I haven't really thought about my career future, or what was going to happen, until really recently," he said, while adding, "probably my mid-40s."
