Scott-Mescudi-and-Aaron-Paul-in-Need-for-SpeedDue out in the spring next year, DreamWorks’ upcoming Need for Speed adaptation is the latest movie to mark that uncommon transition, starting out life as a video game.

The ever-brilliant Aaron Paul, perhaps best known for his joint-leading role opposite Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad, takes the lead here as Tobey Marshall. And now DreamWorks and distributor Disney have shared the first official images from the film, giving us a look at Paul alongside a handful of his co-stars.

An exciting return to the great car-culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, when authenticity brought a new level of intensity to the action, “Need for Speed” taps into what makes the American myth of the open road so enticing.

The story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country race against time—one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. In a last attempt to save his struggling garage, blue-collar mechanic Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul)—who with his team skillfully builds and races muscle cars on the side—reluctantly partners with wealthy, arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). Just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet (Imogen Poots) looks like it will save the business, a disastrous, unsanctioned race results in Dino framing Tobey for manslaughter.

Two years later and fresh out of prison, Tobey is set on revenge with plans to take down Dino in the high-stakes De Leon race—the Super Bowl of underground racing. To get there in time, Tobey must run a high-octane, action-packed gauntlet, dodging cops coast-to-coast and dealing with fallout from a dangerous bounty Dino put on his car. With his loyal crew and the surprisingly resourceful Julia as allies, Tobey defies odds at every turn and proves that even in the flashy world of exotic supercars, the underdog can still finish first.

Dominic Cooper and Imogen Poots complete the leading trio, and starring alongside them will be Scott Mescudi (a.k.a. Kid Cudi), Rami Malek, Michael Keaton, and Dakota Johnson. Johnson was recently cast as the female lead, Anastasia Steele, in Fifty Shades of Grey, and it will be interesting to see how big a role she plays here. A cynical person might suspect that the choice of image below, showing her opposite Cooper, was carefully selected for her name to be dropped, and to then raise awareness among fans of the original novels and those anticipating the upcoming adaptation.

Scott Waugh (Act of Valor) is behind the camera here, with George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau) and John Gatins (Coach Carter, Flight) penning the script.

Need for Speed will be hitting cinemas in the US and UK on March 14th, 2014, and with such a big fan-base in place from the original video games, it’s going to be interesting to see how the blockbuster fares at the box office.