By far one of the finest actors of his generation, Aaron Paul is have a deservedly strong year.
He recently took home his second Emmy for Breaking Bad. And his latest film, Smashed, which will be opening on wider release in the US in the coming weeks, came out of Sundance with early Oscar buzz, particularly for his co-star, Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
With the end of Breaking Bad in sight, the actor has landed yet another promising role, taking the lead in DreamWorks’ upcoming Need for Speed, EW report.
We heard over the summer that the studio were moving forward with their video game adaptation, setting the film for a 2014 release, and then there was early talk of Taylor Kitsch, star of John Carter and Friday Night Lights, taking the lead.
But now Paul has signed on, and things are looking awesome.
When we first heard about the project, it was easy to be a little sceptical, given that Need for Speed isn’t necessarily the first video game you’d think to adapt for the big screen. But with someone with as high a standing as Paul coming on board, you have to believe that it’s going to be a great end result.
Scott Waugh (Act of Valor) will be behind the camera, directing from a script penned by brothers George and John Gatins, the former making his writing debut, and the latter’s credits including Coach Carter, Real Steel, and the upcoming Flight.
Need for Speed is set to hit theatres on 7th February, 2014, with production expected to get underway early in the New Year. The odds are pretty good that DreamWorks will want at least one young rising female star alongside Paul, à la Megan Fox in Transformers, as well as a handful of other leads, and hopefully we’ll have more casting news to bring you soon.
In the meantime, Paul’s latest film, Smashed, was given its opened weekend limited release in the US at the weekend, and will be rolling out in theatres across the States in the coming weeks. Be sure to catch him in it when it arrives near you; it’s one of the best films of the year.
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