Speed 3: Highway to Hell is a Go with Hopper and Jan De Bont?

Probably. Maybe. Well, maybe not. Last week I told you about an interview with Dennis Hopper where he drops the bomb that he’s already scheduled to return to “Speed 3″. Back then, I speculated that if the movie did happen, Hopper would be playing a confidant or boss of the (younger) hero. But, um, maybe not. Moviehole has been doing some digging, and they ran across a Wikipedia article (under Hopper’s entry) that talks more about the movie, to be called “Speed 3: Highway to Hell”, and apparently set to release in the summer of 2009.

More from the Wikipedia entry:

Jan De Bont, director of “Speed” and “Speed 2: Cruise Control,” has enforced Hopper’s contractual obligation to star in the third and final installment of the trilogy “Speed 3: Highway to Hell,” ressurecting the legendary character Howard Payne. Shooting begins this October. “Speed 3: Highway to Hell” is set to release in the summer of 2009.

As with most things involving Wikipedia, this must be taken with a grain of salt. The fact is, ANYONE with a computer connection can edit and add information to Wikipedia, similar to how IMDB.com works.

As Moviehole says, this is probably the case of an over-eager editor. The fact is, if “Speed 3″ brings back Hopper’s Howard Payne character and make him the lead, how would they explain that Payne (literally) lost his head in the FIRST movie? And plus, the studio is going to give an extreme sports-style action movie to a 71-year old man to star in? Hopper is not exactly box office gold OR a former action star…

Then again, maybe it’s the case of a Wikipedia editor who is “in the know”?

But either way, are there people out there clamoring for a “Speed 3″?