Taylor Kitsch was poised for a major breakthrough this year as the star of not one but two major action tent pole productions, Disney's John Carter and Universal's Battleship. Ultimately, both proved majors letdowns for their respective studios, with John Carter losing a projected $200 million after print and advertising costs were factored in, and Battleship sinking for an estimated $150 million loss. Of course, the failures of these features cannot be put squarely on the shoulders of Taylor Kitsch, but his prospects as a leading man are certainly looking dim, and have not been helped by his lackluster turn in Oliver Stone's Savages which has garnered mixed to negative reviews.
Nonetheless, Zap2it claims DreamWorks has offered Kitsch the lead in another action property, specifically an adaptation of the EA car racing game Need for Speed. Since the site's original posting the studio has clarified that no offer has been extended to Kitsch as of yet, but the site maintains that Kitsch is the only actor currently being considered for the part.
With his less-than-stellar track record it seems insane that DreamWorks would offer Kitsch a major role in a big budget property. Sure, Need for Speed will probably be a paper thin plot that allows for lots of flashy cars and high octane race/chase scenes, but even for this you'd think they could find a leading man with more fire and charisma than Kitsch. And really, with a script penned by first-time screenwriter George Gatins (whose previous credits include producing the forgettable rom-com She's Out of My League), and former stuntman turned Act of Valor helmer Scott Waugh serving as director, it sounds like Need for Speed could use all the charisma it can get. I mean, I'm all for big dumb fun in the vein of Fast and the Furious, but this wannabe franchise needs a Vin Diesel, not a Paul Walker.
