Need for Speed Movie is the Real Deal with no CGI
The Need for Speed series of video games by Entertainment Arts has finally blossomed into a full-length, big-budget, feature film. Now the high-speed races come to the big screen in a live-action movie that will be released on March 14.
With the film arriving in theaters next week, we had the opportunity to talk with director and executive producer, Scott Waugh and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman) who plays the lead role of Tobey Marshall.
Need for Speed is about blue-collar mechanic and street racer, Tobey Marshall, who reluctantly partners with an arrogant ex-pro driver, but gets framed and sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. After serving his time, Marshall earns his way into a legendary race of which only a select few are invited to compete so he can seek revenge. With a bounty on his head placed by his foe, will Marshall reach the starting line of the race before getting his redemption?
Aaron began working on the movie immediately after Breaking Bad had wrapped and closed its final season. What attracted Aaron to the role wasn’t just the action and opportunity to drive some of the word’s most exotic hypercars, it was the character driven story with heart that screenwriter John Gatins (Real Steel, Flight) had created. Aaron was impressed that the screenplay was almost like an homage to early action films that started the genre, such as Bullitt, Vanishing Point, and Smokey and the Bandit. Additionally, Scott’s passion as a film maker and his heritage associated with action movies convinced Aaron that this was more than just a car movie.
In preparation for his role as a gifted street racer with some mad driving skills, Aaron spent three and a half months studying and practicing with a stunt driving school and continued his training during the three and half months of production and filming. Not only does Aaron do most of the driving on screen, but all that practice recently earned him first place and new record holder in a “reasonably-priced” car on BBC’s Top Gear. Aaron drove the course in 1:44.7, beating the previous record of 1:45.1 that was held by AC/DC’s Brian Johnson.
Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots (That Awkward Moment, Filth) aren’t the only stars of the movie. Director Scott Waugh comes from a family of stunt drivers and hung out on the sets of some of the most memorable car chase and race scenes on film. Growing up in an era before green screens and CGI, Scott filmed all of the car stunts in live action. In preparation for the movie, two doubles for each of the six supercars were built for crashing, a total eight Mustangs were built, and two stunt doubles for each classic musclecar were built in addition to the hero cars.
Getting the action started is a street race that features some classic muscle cars. Notably a ’68 Ford Mustang, ’67 Chevy Camaro SS, and a late sixties (1967?) Pontiac GTO. Next to make an entrance was a re-worked Shelby GT500.
Created specifically for the movie, the car has been equipped with a custom wide body kit that includes a new front bumper and extended side skirts. The model also has a “twin-snorkel” hood, angel-eye fog lights and 22-inch Forgiato alloy wheels.
Scott challenged Ford to give this central character enough personality and American masculinity to take on some of the world’s most exotic cars, just like in the popular Electronic Arts video game that inspired the movie.
For the race finalé, a set of high-dollar hypercars are staged to tear up the pavement and catch more air than Travis Pastrana at the X Games. Need for Speed wouldn’t be a true adaptation of the video game without a Bugatti Veyron, McLaren P1, Saleen S7, GTA Spano, Koenigsegg Agera, and Lamborghini Sesto Elemento setting the screen on fire with speeds far beyond legal and fiery crashes.
