Saxon are not the only ones with the need for speed. EA recently confirmed that they have sold the feature film rights of the popular video game franchise Need For Speed to Dreamworks Studio.
George Gatins and John Gatins developed the story, and George will be penning the screenplay. What the story will be about is still open to speculation but I’m going to take a stab in the dark and guess that it will be a high-octane action-adventure with lots of asphalt and police sirens with a mixture of 3D diesel and gravel thrown into our eyes. What we do know, however, is that the movie will not be based on any particular game from the franchise. It will be produced by EA, John Gatins, and Mark Sourian, and Scott Waugh is currently attached as the director. Dreamworks aim to start filming next year for a 2014 release so we’ll all have to wait at the finishing line till then.
Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Chairman and silver screen visionary has said, “I’m excited about getting back into the creative trenches with John and George Gatins and my partners at EA to bring to life an exhilarating script based on an epic video game that seems to have been made for the movies. This is a big piece of business for DreamWorks and we are grateful to Frank Gibeau, Pat O’Brien, Kevin Maher and John and George for choosing us to deliver their goods.”
“We are thrilled to be in business with our friends Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider and the entire DreamWorks team,” said Frank Gibeau, President of EA Labels. “They are the perfect partner to take Need for Speed to the big screen by creating the exciting action film that we have always envisioned.”
John Gatins wrote Real Steal, the Rocky-like movie starring live-action Rock’em Sock’em machines. So if you have seen Real Steel you can probably imagine the kind of carnage to expect in this Need For Speed cinema debut.
It is also worth knowing that EA have handed the Need For Speed video game franchise over to Criterion Games who will now have full control of future titles. Criterion are currently developing the latest installment Need For Speed: Most Wanted, which shares its name with the 2005 Need For Speed game developed by EA and Ideaworks Game Studio.
You may be familiar with Criterion Games, they are the ones responsible for all those crazy Burnout titles that allow you to crumple up a car and cause a city to explode. Criterion developed 2010’s Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit so we can rest easy knowing that they can be trusted with the franchise, especially with all that experience under their belt.
Need For Speed: Most Wanted will be available on 30th October, 2012, on the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and Windows PC. For more information race on over to the official website.
