If you think about it, has there even really been a solid film based on a video game? While adaptations like “Silent Hill” and the “Resident Evil” series have their adamant defenders, and with the Angelina Jolie-starring “Tomb Raider” films faring pretty well at the box office in their day, there’s also a glut of terrible titles like “Doom,” “Street Fighter,” and most of Uwe Boll’s filmography. Regardless, the studios aren’t letting up, as the recent “Prince of Persia” and announcement of “Crank” director Brian Taylor’s “Twisted Metal” have proven. Well, add one more to that list of future adaptations.
With studios happy to follow recent trends, video game developer Electronic Arts is ready to appeal to those looking for the next “Fast and the Furious”-style franchise with their video game series “Need For Speed.” Need an already established title for the 18-34 male demographic that could easily be molded into a “Fast and the Furious” tale of fast cars and smuggling, or perhaps a “Cannonball Run”-type race across America? Then sibling screenwriters George and John Gatins may have the script to pique your interest. Even though plot details are being kept quiet, apparently their screenplay has Warner Bros., Paramount, and Sony in contention to nab it. The only studio left out is Universal, who already have their full cylinder car franchise ready to keep rolling with “Fast Six” shooting in may.
We’ll have to see if “Need for Speed” amounts to much more than another forgettable title in the long lineage of cinematic video game adaptations, but the racing game has proved quite profitable over its 18 titles, which recently saw the release of “Need For Speed: The Run” with actors Sean Faris and “Mad Men” and “Drive” beauty Christina Hendricks providing a little character to the series.
No word on when this one is planned to get rolling, but we’re interested to see what sort of cast they round up who feel the “Need for Speed.”