Aaron Paul, Emmy winning star of BREAKING BAD, just made things a little more interesting over at Dreamworks. Their film adaptation of the video game franchise NEED FOR SPEED just locked up Paul to star.
I have to say that adding Jesse Pinkman to the movie definitely raised my interest in the project. NEED FOR SPEED did not excite me when it was announced that Scott Waugh (ACT OF VALOR) would direct it. It just seemed like a knock off of the FAST AND FURIOUS series. Not being a real big car guy, I was content to let it slip off of my radar. But, Aaron Paul is a damn good actor and I think that this has the potential to give him the chance to shine as a leading man.
Paul is currently starring in the final season of BREAKING BAD and the indie SMASHED co-starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
Entertainment Weekly says the NEED FOR SPEED movie will share the title and style of the video games but is not an adaptation of any specific plot from the series. That is a good thing since the video games have a somewhat basic plot structure in place to progress the intricate racing levels. I hope the screenwriters take a page from FAST FIVE and give the movie a well designed story with the racing added to enhance the flavor.
NEED FOR SPEED is planning to race into theaters on February 7, 2014.