Back in the summer of 2012, video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) officially announced that DreamWorks Studios had acquired the rights to a movie based on the Need For Speed video game franchise. At the time, the studio stated it would “fast-track” the movie, promising hot cars, intense racing, and a story that “keeps players at the edge of their seat.” Today, the first trailer for the Need For Speed movie was released.
The movie stars Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul as a street racer who enters a cross-country race in order to exact revenge upon his former friend, who framed him for some crime. The generic story itself might be enough to warn movie-lovers away from the flick, and the trailer for Need For Speed certainly doesn’t do it any favors.
If nothing else, Need For Speed certainly looks to deliver on the “hot cars” and “intense racing.”. The movie was written by Real Steel writer John Gatins and directed by Act of Valor director Scott Waugh. It is due out on March 14, 2014.
Sure, the entire project looks formulaic and derivative. However, with the current success of the Fast and Furious franchise, DreamWorks might not need a critical success to see big box office returns from a racing flick, at least for a March release. Also, Need For Speed‘s creators can probably be confident that it will not be the worst video game movie adaptation of all time.
