EA’s Need For Speed Franchise To Hit The Silver Screen

Electronic Arts announced today that Dreamworks Studios has acquired the rights to the Need for Speed franchise.  George and John Gatins developed the original story with George writing the screenplay.  According to the presser, the film will 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. In Need for Speed, the cars are hot, the racing is intense and the story keeps players at the edge of their seat.”

“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,” said Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Chairman. “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.”   

“George, John and EA brought a very compelling story to us which we believe is going to make a fun, cool movie franchise,” said Stacey Snider, CEO and Co-Chair of DreamWorks. “With such a large following around the globe, we’re excited to make a film that does justice to the popular underlying video game series.”  

“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.”   

“It’s fantastic to be working with a team that shares not only our love of cars, but also our passion for creating blockbuster action experiences. This collaboration will be greatly enhanced with the team at DreamWorks — which is a great home for the Need for Speed franchise,” said Patrick Soderlund, Executive Vice President, EA Games Label. Added Pat O’Brien, Vice President of EA Entertainment: “Working with John and George to develop the script has truly been an outstanding experience.” 

With the popularity of the Fast and Furious franchise, it’s not surprising that another studio would want to get in on the “high-octane action” of the modern car movie craze; however, other titles such as Doom, Blood Rayne, Max Payne, and Super Mario Brothers (yes, I went there) were also “extremely faithful to the spirit of the video game.”

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