EA Wants a Need for Speed Film

[WMDogma]

EA Wants a Need for Speed Film

[img_inline src="http://cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/63/63255.jpg"]
EA starts its engines to race against The Fast and The Furious.

In another attempt to bring a famous videogame franchise to life on the silver screen, Electronic Arts has hired George and John Gatins (of Coach Carter [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433035/] fame) to write a screenplay based on its popular racing franchise, Need for Speed.

Reportedly, several major Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros. and Paramount, are interested in picking up Need for Speed's film rights, possibly in a bid to compete with Universal's current The Fast and the Furious series. The latest The Fast and The Furious film, Fast Five has earned over $626 million dollars world wide, and a sixth film is in production. The success of the The Fast and Furious series suggests that the Need for Speed series may experience similar success if translated into a feature film.

Presumably, a Need for Speed film will be about people driving fancy cars at dangerously high speeds, but given the film industry's penchant to change things up, it's anyone's guess.

The Need for Speed franchise originally launched in 1994, and currently has 18 titles in the series. The latest title, Need for Speed: The Run, released last year in November to mixed reviews, and put players into the driving gloves of a man named Jackson Rourke as he attempted to drive cross country in an illegal street race.

Source: Variety [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118052577]

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[Zhukov]

I'm trying to think of a clever way to say, "If this movie will gets made it will surely suck donkeys." But it just isn't coming.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I'll say here what I said on Facebook/Screwattack. I'm not interested in a Need for Speed franchise but if someone can get Micheal Bay to do a Burnout film or, series then that could be pretty great. Even though you know a Bay-Burnout movie would climax with the lead character rolling over every other car with a tank (on a caffeine high, sun-set, yadda-yadda) in what would be the equivalent of car-crash porn...exactly what Burnout my favorite race series to begin with.

 

[Sporky111]

I haven't played a NFS game since Pro Street. However, the one that stood out in my mind was Most Wanted. That actually had a story that could translate to a movie, since it's a revenge story of sorts. Though, knowing Hollywood, they'll take the silent protagonist and turn him into your typical sarcastic everyhero, and Razor would probably have "stolen" his girl instead of his car.

Cross would probably have Samuel L. Jackson or Idris Elba or Terry Crews playing him, which would likely make him the most interesting part of the movie. He was definitely the most interesting part of the game's story.

 

[Furism]

It could be good if it came back to the roots of the series. Very high-end cars doing illegal things. Come up with a multi-million dollars reward or something, find excuses for people to swap cars, and that's it. Don't make it like Fast & Furious (shitty night club music), make it hard-boiled like Drive.

But the way EA is doing business it'll have nothing to do with cars, it'll be made by Michael Bay and will drive down the quality of the movie industry (which is saying a lot).

 

[Sis]

If they can make a racing movie as well as they did a boxing robot movie, then I see no problems with this. It's been many, many years since we've last seen a good racing movie anyways.

 

[Fasckira]

Surprised Bay isn't in on this considering he did The Run trailer and was reported to have said how much he'd love to do an NFS film!

The NFS arcade line of games tend to have fairly decent if not predictable story lines though. Hell, The Run may as well have been a film.

Im looking forward to this and reckon if its done well then it could be pretty successful.

 

[Scrustle]

Worst game ever to try and turn in to a film. NFS "stories" have always been the crappiest attempts to try and get anyone invested in a narrative in any game. I really hope this deal falls through or else this will completely sully the names of everyone involved and further shit upon the game series that is already a less than mediocre train wreck. It's like the Sonic of racing franchises.

 

[Evil Smurf]

have Samuel L. Jackson

any film with him is good

 

[Findlebob]

So correct me if I?m wrong but won?t this wind up a generic racing movie (lightly taking some ideas for the Fast and Furious) and slapping the Need for Speed title on the box?

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

Hey, Tommy Lee Jones, did you hear EA want to make a Need for Speed movie?

Yeah that was my reaction as well.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

Honestly, I think Burnout would make for a much more successful movie. Let's face it, movies (like games) don't always have to be the most cerebral life experiences, and if I was promised 2+ hours of automobile carnage, I'd probably see it.

Plus, how awesome would it be to have the guy who wrote a movie about giant robots beating the crap out of each other write another movie about cars exploding.

 

[A Satanic Panda]

Maybe, MAYBE, if they could pull of the Most Wanted/Carbon story arc I'd be happy. But then again my nestolgic gland is talking, not me.

 

[Wolfram23]

EA, I think you've done enough to completely ruin this series. Please just stop. Shift sucks. Shift 2 sucks. The Run sucks. The last decent one was NFS Carbon, the last great one was either NFS Underground 2 or NFS Most Wanted, depending on whether you like cop chases.

Know what racing game I just went back to? Racedriver GRID. It is far and away better than either Shift game.

Anyway, about an NFS movie... well, ok, it might work. I imagine it to be a Fast and Furious clone, which really aren't terrible movies. I mean they have their stupid and outrageous parts but they are fun car flicks. Not quite as good as Cars (the first) or Speed Racer... but... fun.

 

[minimacker]

Fast and the Furious?

I always assumed that was based on the NFS franchise. Guess not.

 

[draythefingerless]

wait isnt that waht fast and furious is? i swear to god the first time i saw those movies i called them the need for speed movies. only later did i realize they were a different thing and i was like WTF?

 

[Yopaz]

So I like Need For Speed, but I doubt I would want to watch a Need For Speed movie. Well actually I'm pretty sure I wouldn't.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Is it just me or do they always pick the games with the worst storylines to adapt into movies. I mean, i could totally see how a prequelmovie to Bioshock could be good, or a movie based on Psychonauts, or, hell, even Mario could be turned into a good movie if they actually tried. But what games do get movie adaptions? Angry Birds. Need for Speed. It doesn't make sense!

Catpcha: howdy partner!
Howdy to you too, Captcha.

 

[Scrustle]

Fast and the Furious?

I always assumed that was based on the NFS franchise. Guess not.

It's more the other way round. NFS only went in that style after F&F became popular. It started that whole trend that started games like Juiced, SRS and Midnight Club 3.