Exclusive reports from the land of Deadline New York, have suggested that Dreamworks may be back on track with the deal for a movie remake of Need For Speed in its sights.
The original – an Electronic Arts video game which sees wannabe racing drivers battle it out for pole position – now has Real Steel screenwriter, John Gatins, on board.
Keeping it in the family, Gatins’ brother George is locked in to pen a script for the racing romp.
This is an important project which could mark a return to form for the studio, after some time out of the game as a major buyer. The problems came thick and fast for Dreamworks after India-based partner Reliance drew out negotiations for further funding for far longer than anticipated and with less coinage stumped up – but at least the studio now has a tasty $200million in its back pocket.
The relative box office success of Real Steel – which debuted at No.1 with $27.3mn on its first weekend in the UK – makes the addition of John Gatins as screenwriter a promising prospect for the new project.
Now word on whether a deal has actually been closed between the little fisher-boy and Need For Speed, but confirmation is expected later today.
