If you’re anything like this writer, when you saw the trailer for “Act of Valor” during this past Super Bowl, you may have thought, “Looks like action movies have finally become videogames.” Looking like a cross between an XBOX title like “Call of Duty” and a Michael Bay film on a miniscule budget, “Act of Valor” seems to be aiming to please audiences in the heartland, along with a little help from a tagline that reads “A Motion Picture Featuring Active Duty Navy Seals.” Honoring the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces is one thing, but when you can do a quick Google search and discover that this project started off as a recruitment ad, 'Valor' starts to feel a little like propaganda.
Anyways, Bandito Brothers, the production company behind 'Valor,' are gearing up to bring even more machismo posturing to the screen with the racing picture “High Speed.” Penned by Greg Russo, “High Speed” will enter the underground world of racing, but unlike, say, “Fast and the Furious,” will center on the best high-speed police pursuit drivers out there. These are units assembled with the sole purpose of stopping elusive underground racing circuits from running deadly races throughout major American Cities. The Bandito Brothers of 'Valor,' co-director Scott Waugh, Max Leitman and Jay Pollak, will be producing this one, which will be financed by the Bandito Brothers banner as well. Waugh is set to helm this one alone, and while there’s no word yet on whether or not they’ll shop for distribution with "High Speed," they have certainly proved to be perfectly capable in that respect after having 'Valor' acquired by Relativity Media for distribution.
Production on “High Speed” isn’t set to start shooting until 2013 though, as Waugh and 'Valor' co-director Mike McCoy will be spending the summer shooting an action film entitled “Black Sands,” with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger. In case you've forgotten, that pic is a supernatural action thingy said to be in the vein of "Man On Fire" and "High Plains Drifter." Which is…interesting.
“Valor” will be released on February 24, so perhaps we’ll find out then if our cynical outlook on the film is off. As for now we’ll have to wait and see if “High Speed” features the tagline “A Motion Picture Featuring Active Duty High-Speed Police Pursuit Drivers.” [Deadline]
