Keanu Reeves Movie ‘Point Break’ Almost Had a Sequel Without Him, but With Patrick Swayze

Many Keanu Reeves movies became franchises. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Matrix and John Wick all got multiple sequels. Even Speed also got one sequel that Reeves declined to star in. Point Break was on tap for a sequel, too, although Reeves would not have reprised the role of Johnny Utah but Patrick Swayze would have returned as Bodhi. 

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the ending of Point Break.]

Point Break screenwriter W. Peter Iliff was a guest on the Script Apart podcast on Nov. 16, 2021. Iliff said he was working on Point Break 2 when Swayze died of pancreatic cancer in 2009. Here’s what the sequel would have been. 

‘Point Break 2’ wouldn’t have been a Keanu Reeves movie

Point Break ends with Utah catching Bodhi waiting to surf a giant wave during the 50 Year Storm. The implication is that Bodhi died in the storm, but Point Break 2 would have explained how he lived. 

“We were going to do Point Break 2 and I had been hired to write,” Iliff said on Script Apart. “I was going to direct it actually. Patrick was going to survive the final wave. He would’ve hidden down in a sea cave which he would have known very well where they were. It was about him living in Indonesia and his sons. They were involved in fighting ecoterrorism. They were doing a good thing.”

‘Point Break 2’ introduced a new Keanu Reeves to the movie sequel

Johnny Utah was Reeves’ first action role. Reeves credited director Kathryn Bigelow with changing his life by making him a viable action star. Iliff was developing Point Break 2 without Reeves, but had an idea for a new character.

“So a new Johnny Utah, a younger character was sent out as an ex-military, a mercenary hired to stop these guys and the same story happens,” Iliff said. “Which side of the badge am I on? I’m kind of bro’ing out, feeling like what these guys are doing is more important.”

Patrick Swayze was on board until he died 

Swayze was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2008. His death one year later ended plans for Point Break 2, but Iliff recalled getting close with Swayze while developing the sequel. 

I got to know him better in the last years of his life than actually during the filming of the movie. During the filming of the movie, he’d just come off Ghost so he was literally on the cover of People magazine. He was called Sexiest Man of the Year. When he came on set it was like the Beatles were on set. There were literally ropes put up to keep screaming girls away. I didn’t really get to know him well at that time but I’m very close now with all the other surfer guys who appeared, John Philbin and Bojesse Christopher. These guys tell me stories of Swayze just being one of the guys, living in their little cottage with him, doing the stunts himself which is just nuts. 

W. Peter Iliff, Script Apart, 11/16/21