Not Another Car Film: How Aaron Paul Was Won Over By "Need For Speed"

On first glance, Dreamworks’ upcoming big-screen adaptation of the Need for Speed video game seems like quite a big leap of faith. Movies, based on video games have tended to be hit-and-miss in the past, with the “miss category” boasting far more entries and Need for Speed in particular doesn’t have the kind of story that would typically pull the film out of the pit of mediocrity. The best thing that Need for Speed has going for it, is its cast. At the beginning, even that was uncertain, with Aaron Paul and Ramon Rodriguez hesitant to take on the project at all.

Aaron Paul was initially reluctant to take on the project at all.

"I didn't even want to read the script," Paul told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of Tuesday night's Cinema Society-hosted screening of the film. "I saw the script and I was like, 'Oh, no, another video-game movie'…So, it took everything in me to turn the first page. And once I turned the first page, I kept turning. I was so surprised that it had a great human story behind it and great characters that I found myself instantly invested in."

Apparently the script was so good, that it alleviated Paul’s doubts. Audiences, however, will not get to peek at the story in advance, so Need for Speed’s box office performance could go either way.

For his part, Rodriguez tells THR that he had a similar experience with the script.

So what makes this film different from any other petrol-fueld action flick?

"When I first heard about the script, I thought, 'Ugh, I don't want to do just another car film or a video-game adaptation that doesn't work,' but when I read the script, the thing that caught me was the story of these brothers and these guys, which I was actually kind of attracted to, and to see them come together for a buddy of theirs, I can really relate to that," Rodriguez added.

The biggest problem with Need For Speed might be that it falls squarely in the “fast cars, no plot” category, a la Fast & Furious. Even so, the film has every chance of being a hit, particularly during an otherwise slow box office period. Need for Speed is currently out in the UKand hits US theaters on Friday, March 14.

Check out the Need For Speed trailer below.