20 Things You Didn't Know About Speed
19. Originally, It Was More Of A Buddy Cop Film
When the script was first making the rounds, producers envisioned the two leads forming less of a romantic bond, as Bullock and Reeves ,do and more a comedic one. Initially, they were considering Jeff Bridges and Ellen DeGeneres - both at the height of their popularity in the mid 90s - for the cop/bus driver team.
In more recent years, DeGeneres has denied ever being offered the part, while Bridges has never spoken of it - however if true, such a dynamic would have drastically changed the script. For starters, such a relationship would have all but eliminated the need for Jack's ill-fated partner Harry (Jeff Daniels), who plays the ground game while Jack navigates the L.A. freeway.
Incidentally, Bridges played a cop with bomb squad that same year in Blown Away.