12 Mar The Script Lab – Need for Speed: Director Scott Waugh Talks VG Adaptation
Films finding inspiration from video games have become synonymous with Hollywood’s current lack of creativity as 80s remakes for better or worse. For every success like Paul Anderson’s 1995 adaptation of Mortal Kombat, viewers have dealt with horrible video game-to-film conversions including 1993’s Super Mario Brothers, the surprisingly resilient Resident Evil series or pretty much anything from Uwe Boll. Dreamworks Pictures hopes to set a new standard through its take on Electronic Arts’ almost twenty-year-old racing franchise Need For Speed. Starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Michael Keaton and Scott Mescudi(A.K.A. Kid Cudi), Act of Valordirector Scott Waugh helms the car based revenge film set to a cross country race.
Besides 2008’s Need For Speed: Undercover and more specifically, 2011’s Need For Speed: The Run, EA’s franchise normally hasn’t focused solely on overarching narratives; something that’s been a common benefactor in other film adaptations of video games. Ironically, 2003’s Need For Speed: Underground found inspiration from early films in The Fast and Furious franchise.
In speaking with a group of eager journalist at Los Angeles’ Intercontinental Century City Hotel during the film’s press day, Waugh said that the series lack of story gave film makers a blank slate in crafting a captivating story. “The greatest thing about turning that game into a film is that there really wasn’t a narrative because sometimes narratives in games work fantastic for the game but don’t translate to the movie so we were very free about that,” Waught said.
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