EA’s Need for Speed is going to get the big screen treatment courtesy of DreamWorks, Deadline reports. It seems the best-selling video game is well on its way with John Gatins (Real Steal) writing the screenplay, while Scott Waugh (Act of Valor) will be directing.
Need for Speed has been around for almost 18 years on just about every platform since then, starting with the 3DO. With this being one of the most popular racing series of all time, it was a no-brainer that a studio would eventually pick up the rights to make a movie out of it.
Over the years I played just about every entry in this series, which is something a lot of you have also probably done. So I can tell you that Need for Speed has always been in a constant shift (pun maybe intended), sometimes trying to be a more realistic racer (Porsche, Shift 1 and 2), other times using an arcade driving model (Hot Pursuit, Underground 1 and 2) and even attempting to tell a story (Most Wanted, The Run).
Here’s my question, how much exactly of this film will be Need for Speed and what exactly does that name mean for DreamWorks? My best guess is we’ll probably get an action flick with cars, probably their response to the success of The Fast and Furious series from Universal. Why start a new franchise when there’s an already an established one audiences are familiar with?
DreamWorks plans to release Need for Speed sometime in 2014 (The Fast and Furious 6 is in 2013) but anything could happen in 2 years, so we’ll have to wait and see.
If it was up to you, which Need for Speed game would you choose to base a movie on? I think I’d probably pick the 2005 Most Wanted.
