Aaron Paul has found his NEED FOR SPEED

Drugs and fast cars is a hell of a combination, which is probably why Dreamworks Pictures has tapped Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul – better known to most as drug dealer Jesse Pinkman – to get behind the wheel of their proposed adaptation of super popular video game series, and probable inspiration for far too many people with more traffic violations than sense, Need For Speed.

The film will be directed by Act of Valor director Scott Waugh, who certainly showed in that movie that he knows how to shoot action, but his direction just got overshadowed a bit by all the flag waving that was happening. Here’s hoping that he gives Paul – a two time Emmy winner for his performances in the drug dealing HBO critical smash hit and who will soon be seen opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the alcoholic drama Smashed, which has been getting some rave reviews – a little more to do than just waste his acting abilities by sitting behind a steering wheel.

It’s been said that the movie will be “based on the game series, but is not based on an individual game.” Which is definitely a good thing, seeing as how most of the NFS games’ plot could be and probably was written on the back of a matchbox. In crayon. But for a full length feature film, especially when competing with the LED lit up, turbo-charged elephant in the room in the form of the Fast and Furious franhcise, they’re going to need to bring more to the table than just “drive pretty cars really fast”.

The film has also been described as a “fast-paced, high-octane film rooted in the tradition of the great car culture films of the ’70s” which I’m hoping means lots of car chases in San Francisco and hubcaps flying off when going around corners at speed. Nobody does flying hubcaps anymore. It’s a lost art.

Here’s the official, rather long winded, official synopsis for now:

An adaptation of EA’s popular video game franchise. The screenplay is based on the game series, but is not based on an individual game. The film adaptation will be a fast-paced, high-octane film rooted in the tradition of the great car culture films of the 70s while being extremely faithful to the spirit of the video game franchise. In “Need for Speed,” the cars are hot, the racing is intense and the story keeps players at the edge of their seat.

“Need for Speed” is the premier racing game in the video game industry and one of EA’s best-selling video game franchises. Since the release of the first title, the series has sold more than 140 million units worldwide, generating an estimated $4 billion in retail revenue, making it one of the biggest franchises in video gaming.

Brothers George and John Gatins concocted the movie’s story, which was inspired by the game series but isn’t based on any one title, with George (executive producer of the comedy She’s Out of My League) penning the final screenplay. John, screenwriter of Real Steel, Coach Carter, and the upcoming Denzel Washington drama Flight, will co-produce Need For Speed with EA’s Patrick O’Brien and Mark Sourian, who is also producing the upcoming DreamWorks comedy Starbuck.

Last Updated: October 16, 2012