While Need For Speed was initially conceived as an adaptation of the long-running popular video game series, when director Scott Waugh took control of it he also changed the project into something else: an ode to the classic car movies of the 1960s and '70s. The film is filled will all kinds of roaring muscle and sports cars, and are featured doing absolutely insane stunts that were all done practically and with minimal aid from CGI. The stars and stuntpeople behind the production performed some really amazing feats for the camera, but of all of them which one was the hardest to pull off?
That was one of the many questions on my mind while talking with Waugh (right) and Stunt Coordinator Lance Gilbert (left) at a recent press event for Need For Speed held in Los Angeles. Sitting down with them on a set that featured some of the actual cars used from the film, I asked the filmmakers not only about the various complex stunts pulled off on set, but also how the stunts influenced the story and vice versa, and whether or not you actually ever get more than one shot to get it right.
Based on a screenplay by George Gatins, Need For Speed tells the story of Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), the owner of a small-time auto shop and part time street racer. After getting pulled into a competition against one of his rivals (Dominic Cooper), things go horribly wrong and Tobey ends up getting framed for vehicular manslaughter – but upon being released from prison he has a plan to get revenge. Along with a female companion (Imogen Poots) who is responsible for the multi-million dollar car he is driving, Tobey sets off on a cross country tour so that he may get the opportunity to enter an exclusive race run by a mysterious millionaire known as the Monarch (Michael Keaton).
As a bonus to the interview above, the trailers below will give you a preview of just some of the classic movies that inspired Need For Speed’s crazy practical stunts and style:
Need For Speed is in theaters now.
