22 MPH / Mind the Gap
It's time to talk about "the jump." Cast and crew look back at the centerpiece moment of SPEED and film's most immortal sequence: Bus 2525 sailing across a gap in the freeway.
Nov 06, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 22
50 MPH
Get ready for rush hour! 50 MPH is a podcast dedicated to the making and legacy of Jan de Bont’s 1994 summer movie blockbuster SPEED. Across 50 episodes, this one-of-a-kind oral history takes you on a breakneck journey from conception to execution, distribution and beyond. Join entertainment journalist Kris Tapley as he talks to the people who made it happen and discusses their memories of an electrifying thrill ride that defied expectations and became a global, star-making phenomenon. Through conversations with actors, executives, filmmakers, film scholars and film fans, 50 MPH will attempt to secure SPEED’s rightful place in the canon of action cinema on the way to celebrating its fast-approaching 30th anniversary in style. Don’t forget to fasten your seatbelts!
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Episodes
21 MPH / Hell on Wheels
50 MPH goes deep inside production on the first half of the bus section of SPEED as cast and crew recall a hair-raising hell-ride through Los Angeles aboard Bus 2525.
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 21
20 MPH / They Don’t Make ’Em Like They Used To
As SPEED launches into production, let’s take a moment to meet the production department heads and other artisans tasked with lifting Graham Yost’s (and Paul Attanasio’s and Joss Whedon’s) screenplay off the page and onto the screen!
Oct 23, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 20
19 MPH / The Ultimate L.A. Movie Guide (with Katie Walsh)
SPEED is an all-time great Los Angeles film. In that spirit, 50 MPH is joined by Tribune Publishing film critic Katie Walsh to help us forge the ultimate LA movie guide, from LA LA LAND and SWINGERS to NIGHTCRAWLER and COLLATERAL and all points in between!
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 19
18 MPH / Location, Location, Location
Before the cast and crew for SPEED really get out to set, what IS the set? From Venice to Long Beach, downtown to LAX, strap in for a guided tour of the many locations from the film as Jan de Bont and company set up shop in Hollywood's back yard.
Oct 09, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 18
17 MPH / The Passengers of Bus 2525
It's high time we met the passengers of SPEED's doomed city workhorse... ALL of them. 50 MPH goes deep into the film's ensemble with insights from the many character actors who filled out Bus 2525.
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 53 min•Season 1Ep. 17
16 MPH / Speed and the Action Movie Canon (with Nick de Semlyen)
In his new book "The Last Action Heroes," author Nick de Semlyen charts the rise and stall of the '80s action gods. This week 50 MPH talks to de Semlyen about the era that paved the way for SPEED and where Jan de Bont's film fits in the action movie canon.
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 16
15 MPH / Dennis Hopper, Hollywood Hotshot (with Mark Harris)
An examination of the Easy Rider himself! 50 MPH talks to journalist and author Mark Harris (Pictures at a Revolution) about the life and times of one Dennis Hopper and what he brought to SPEED.
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 15
14 MPH / The Perfect Foil
We still need a bad guy! And we won't get one until two weeks into production. The team recounts the whirlwind search for Howard Payne, a role that would be offered to any and everyone under the sun, from Robert Duvall to Christopher Walken. In the end, the film ends up with American icon Dennis Hopper. Hopper passed away in 2010 but his spirit is kept alive by those who remember him and his impact on SPEED.
Sep 11, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 14
13 MPH / Jeff Daniels Needs a Job
We need a bad guy, but it's hard to discuss the villain of SPEED without also discussing the journey of Harry Temple, Jack Traven's LAPD SWAT team partner who, until the big 11th-hour rewrite, was actually revealed to be the mad bomber at the center of the story. Actor Jeff Daniels comes to the table with his memories and experiences as a character actor, at the time, desperate for a career turnaround.
Sep 04, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 13
12 MPH / The Script Doctors Are In
With production imminent, the suits at Fox decide the script for SPEED needs a tune-up. In a sprawling, uncommonly candid account that takes you behind the scenes of the screen(re)writing process and the under-the-hood efforts that get a project camera-ready, screenwriters Paul Attanasio and Joss Whedon chime in along with producers Walter Parkes and Laurie Macdonald. All would be uncredited for their considerable contributions to the success of SPEED.
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 12
11 MPH / A Crash Course in Sandra Bullock (with Kate Erbland)
From "America's Sweetheart" to Oscar-winning Hollywood titan, Sandra Bullock is the topic of discussion. 50 MPH talks to IndieWire executive editor Kate Erbland about the rise and continued dominance of a beloved actress who commands an audience to this day. And it all started with SPEED!
Aug 21, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 11
10 MPH / A Star Is Born
With an action hero in the pocket, an action heroine is in order! But the search for unsuspecting bus-passenger-turned-driver Annie proves to be an exhaustive one lasting up until the brink of production. Hear all about the series of events that led to casting a ready-to-ignite Sandra Bullock.
Aug 14, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 10
9 MPH / The Tao of Keanu Reeves (with Alex Pappademas)
It's time to contextualize our star and how SPEED set him up for the action-hero superstardom he enjoys to this day. 50 MPH talks to journalist Alex Pappademas, author of the book "Keanu Reeves: Most Triumphant - The Movies and Meaning of an Irrepressible Icon," to discuss the enigmatic persona and his eclectic 40-year career.
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 9
8 MPH / Next Action Hero
The search is on for SPEED's leading man. Once again, forget the A-list. John McClane ain't happening, and the studio has its eyes on Topper Harley. The guy from BILL & TED? He wasn't on anyone's wishlist. The team recalls the unlikely casting of Keanu Reeves and the forging of a new action hero.
Jul 31, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 8
7 MPH / Jan de Bont’s Excellent Adventure (with Bilge Ebiri)
From Holland to Hollywood! 50 MPH talks to New York Magazine film critic Bilge Ebiri about the career and influence of Jan de Bont. They discuss the cinematographer's early days collaborating with a young Paul Verhoeven, his studio success behind the camera of classics like DIE HARD, FLATLINERS and BASIC INSTINCT and his transition to the director's chair from SPEED to TWISTER and beyond.
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 7
6 MPH / A Workhorse Takes the Reins
Fox searches high and low for a filmmaker willing to take on this silly "DIE HARD on a bus" premise. But having no luck with the A-list set, will the studio play it safe with a journeyman for a single or a double, or will they roll the dice on Jan de Bont, a cinematographer-turned-first-time director who just might hit it out of the park?
Jul 17, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 6
5 MPH / New Life at a New Fox
As a second studio takes a bite at the SPEED apple, more development voices join the mix. Former Fox junior executive Jorge Saralegui and production president Tom Jacobson talk about their interest in the project as Peter Chernin's new regime takes hold in Century City.
Jul 10, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 5
4 MPH / Paramount Hits the Brakes
Through a connection to co-producer Allison Lyon, Graham Yost finds a producer to take on SPEED in the up-and-coming Mark Gordon. The trio finds interest at Paramount Pictures for a time with former Vice President of Production Don Granger. But after a year of development the studio would hit the brakes on the project.
Jul 03, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 4
3 MPH / An Exercise in Structure
Screenwriter Graham Yost details the genesis of SPEED and his efforts to work it out on the page while toiling away as a TV writer in Hollywood at the dawn of a new decade: the 90s!
Jun 26, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 3
2 MPH / Is Speed a Masterpiece? (with Justin Chang)
50 MPH talks to Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang about the achievement and significance of SPEED, as well as the film's place in the modern context.
Jun 19, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 2
1 MPH / Getting Up to... Speed
50 MPH host Kris Tapley sets the stage for what listeners can expect on his year-long study of SPEED, plus an electrifying 8-minute sizzle reel of coming attractions. Voices include director Jan de Bont, producer Mark Gordon, screenwriter Graham Yost, stars Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels and Joe Morton, a roll call of filmmaking talent behind the camera, studio personnel who saw the project through development at two major Hollywood studios and tons more!
Jun 12, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Get Ready for Rush Hour (50 MPH Trailer)
Welcome to 50 MPH, a behind-the-scenes podcast hosted by entertainment journalist Kris Tapley that charts the development, production and legacy of director Jan de Bont’s Oscar-winning 1994 summer blockbuster SPEED, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels. (TRAILER)
Jun 03, 2023•2 min
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