Need for Speed movie set for 2014 release

Almost everybody knows about Need for Speed. It’s one of the most successful game franchises out there. And soon, it might be a movie too. DreamWorks Studio has announced the release date for their movie adaptation of the Need for Speed games. According to a report by  Deadline Hollywood, the movie is set to be released on February 7, 2014. The movie is to be written by George Gatnis, produced by brother John (Red Steel), and directed by Scott Waugh (Act of Valor).

Here’s hoping the movie is as fun as this

Need For Speed is the first major project expenditure DreamWorks has made since the company came out of suspended animation while waiting for Reliance to invest cash in a re-up. The studio acquired the movie rights for the Need for Speed series only last month. There is no indication of why the movie is being fast tracked. EA and DreamWorks explained during their joint announcement that the film adaptation would be “a fast-paced, high-octane film rooted in the tradition of the great car culture films of the 70s while being extremely faithful to the spirit of the video game franchise”.

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Steven Spielberg, founder of DreamWorks 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.”

The Need for Speed series has been one of the most successful racing game series, besides being one of the most successful video game franchises. The games in the series have been published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by several studios including Canada-based company EA Black Box and Britain-based Criterion Games. NFS was originally developed by Canadian company Distinctive Software, which later became known as EA Canada. As of October 2009, the game series has sold over 100 million copies.

The series has always been known for its arcady racing gameplay as opposed to the more realistic simulation games like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport. Since Black Box’s last Need for Speed - Undercover, EA has released three games in the series from different developers. While Slightly Mad steered the series into Simulation territory with the shift games, Criterion brought the series back to its roots with the reboot Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

The last game in the series to be released was Need for Speed: The Run. It aims to bring back the story-driven action driving experience that once helped Need for Speed rule the arcade racing roost. Unfortunately, the aim was way off.

The upcoming game in the Need for Speed franchise is Need for Speed: Most Wanted and is being developed by Criterion.