For decades, cars have been a vital part of global culture. There is a strong association between drivers and their vehicles and they are often seen as an extension of ourselves, representing who a person is and what they stand for. Now from DreamWorks Pictures comes a film that honors the heritage of the world's passion for cars, the testosterone-fueled “Need for Speed.”

Based on EA Entertainment’s best-selling racing video game franchise of the same name, the film is a visceral and evocative return to the great car-culture movies of the ‘60s and ‘70s, tapping into our timeless fascination with the individualism and freedom of a car and our love of the open road. “Need for Speed” captures the excitement of the game in a real-world setting while bringing a level of intensity and authenticity to the action on-screen.

In “Need for Speed” the stars of the movie are the cars themselves, so it was important that the filmmakers found cars that would deliver the right look, attitude and performance on screen. In the end, a variety of classic ‘70s muscle cars and pricey European super cars were chosen.

Waugh comments, “The film begins in Mt. Kisco, New York, a blue-collar town with hard-working Americans, and that sort of culture had always gravitated toward muscle cars.”

The Mustang that Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots drive en route to De Leon was designated the film’s hero car. The “it” car of 1964 symbolizing freedom, romance and America, the Mustang launched the American muscle car movement and went on to become a worldwide icon.

Once Ford Motors heard about the film and the significance of the Mustang to the story, they were eager to get involved. The company worked with production to design a special “Need for Speed” Mustang based on the 2013 Shelby GT500. Caroll Shelby, a legendary American racer turned car designer who created the performance-based Mustang for Ford in 1965, had been working on the 50^th anniversary edition when he passed away in 2012.

Ford was intrigued by the premise and collaborated with the filmmakers to style a car they hoped was similar to what Shelby would have created. Both parties wanted to respect the vision Shelby might have made without making it look too futuristic but did keep two of Shelby’s signature design elements, the blue stripes and chrome.

According to Waugh, “If you wanted a Mustang you always wanted the Shelby Mustang because it was an amazing car.”

The frame was altered by celebrated Ford designer Melvin Betancourt and built by Techno Sports in Detroit. Some of the alterations made to the “Need for Speed” Mustang include: a wider body, 20-inch alloy wheels (to help facilitate easier stunts for the stunt drivers), a V8 engine topping out at 190 miles per hour, heavier compression rates on the springs, high-charged Bilstein shocks and thicker sway bars. The interior console was adapted to accommodate an iPad for Tobey to use when communicating with his crew and the futuristic side-view mirrors were turned into cameras.

Eventually seven different Mustangs were built, each serving specific purposes ranging from beauty shots, stunts and driving shots to a model that could be lifted by and hang from a helicopter. Three of the cars were 5 L 420 horsepower with a six-speed manual transmission, two were 662 horsepower with a V8 engine and six-speed manual transmission, one was 5 L 420 horsepower with an automatic transmission and one was 305 horsepower with a V6 automatic transmission.

One of the focal points in both the crucial race between Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper and Harrison Gilbertson and the climactic show-down at De Leon are the European super cars, which include: a Swedish Koenigsegg Agera R, a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, a Spano GTA, a Bugatti Veyron and McLaren F-1, all of which were featured in the video games, and a Saleen S-7. All six super cars had a GM LS3 engine, 430 horsepower 425-foot pounds of torque and weighed close to 3,200 pounds.

The production also required multiples of each super car rigged for camera platforms on set for a variety of shooting needs, but due to their exorbitant price tags ($2 - $3 million each) and the fact that they could not be placed in situations where damage was possible, they would have to be built. Luckily the manufacturers were enthusiastic to get involved and shared confidential CAD specs with Reel Industries in Los Angeles who then created 15 chasses and fiberglass shells for each make and model which could then be swapped out.

Waugh explains, “There are only a few super cars in the world and they’re not really camera-friendly. You’re not going to drill into the side of a two and a half million dollar car…they’re art pieces, that’s what everyone forgets. You’re going to replicate it to wreck it so the real one is still there.”

“Need for Speed” tells a story of honor, friendship and loyalty and the high-octane journey of one man looking to clear his name. For Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), who runs his family’s auto shop and races the underground street circuit with his buddies on weekends, life is good. But his whole world is turned upside down when he is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In prison he spends the next two years thinking about one thing: vengeance. His best chance at defeating his enemy, Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), is the high-stakes car race known as De Leon. The Super Bowl of underground racing, De Leon takes place once a year and only a few select drivers are invited to participate with the winner taking all. While questioning the morals to which he has always adhered, he is nevertheless determined to bring down his enemies…no matter what the cost.

The film stars two-time Emmy® winner Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”), Dominic Cooper (“Captain America: The First Avenger”), Imogen Poots (“Fright Night”), Ramon Rodriguez (“Transformers”), Rami Malek (“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn”), Scott Mescudi (aka rap artist Kid Cudi), Dakota Johnson (“21 Jump Street”), Harrison Gilbertson and Michael Keaton (“Batman”).

(Opening across the Philippines on March 12, 2014, “Need for Speed” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.)

In DreamWorks Pictures “Need for Speed,” a gear-grinding drama set in the world of underground street racing, Aaron Paul plays Tobey Marshall … a role that almost wasn’t his.

The actor had just wrapped production on the final season of the critically acclaimed TV series “Breaking Bad” where he plays Jesse Pinkman when he auditioned for the film. But the filmmakers were interested in casting him not as Tobey Marshall, but as Dino Brewster, Tobey’s adversary. Director Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor”) knew for certain that Paul was their Tobey, but there were some concerns he might be perceived as too edgy because of his “Breaking Bad” association.

For Paul it was déjà vu, as six years earlier he’d had a similar experience during casting for “Breaking Bad.” At that time, there had been someone (the show’s creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan) who desperately wanted to cast him for a certain role (Jesse Pinkman) and there had also been some opposing views (executives at AMC felt he was too good looking to play a meth dealer).

In the end everything worked out to everyone’s benefit, especially for Paul. He was cast as Jesse Pinkman on “Breaking Bad,” going on to receive two Emmy® Awards for his performance, and he got the part of Tobey Marshall in “Need for Speed.” The part of Dino Brewster ended up going to Dominic Cooper (“Captain America: The First Avenger”).

Good fortune has always seemed to shine on Aaron Paul, as it has for most of his career. But it was not luck, but his abilities as an actor that would take him the rest of the way. Paul had wanted to be an actor since the 8th grade. After graduating from high school in Boise, Idaho, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time where he soon found himself working consistently. Since then he has appeared in countless commercials and has amassed an impressive list of film credits (“Mission: Impossible III,” “The Last House on the Left” and “K-PAX)” as well as TV’s (“Big Love,” “Criminal Minds,” “Bones,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Melrose Place”).

Based on the eponymous video game series, “Need for Speed” is a visceral and evocative return to the great car-culture movies of the 1960s and ‘70s. The film captures the excitement of the game in a real-world setting while bringing a level of intensity and authenticity to the action on-screen.

For Tobey Marshall, who runs his family’s auto shop and races the underground street circuit with his buddies on weekends, life is good. But his whole world is turned upside down when he is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In prison, he spends the next two years thinking about one thing: vengeance. While questioning the morals to which he has always adhered, he is nevertheless determined to bring down his enemies … no matter what the cost.

Waugh wanted to pay tribute to the great car movies from the 1960s and ‘70s. Movies like “Bullitt” (1968), “The French Connection” (1971) and “Vanishing Point” (1971), where the car sequences were authentic and executed without any visual effects. Today the majority of car stunts on film are completed with a green screen and talent in cars on a soundstage, but Waugh was insistent that all car stunts on “Need for Speed” be practically executed. He wanted to put the audience inside the car, riding shotgun. On set this came to be known as the Steve McQueen style of filmmaking, a reference to scenes in the late legendary actor's films where a car would pull around a corner and come up right next to the camera so you could tell Steve McQueen was in the driver’s seat.

Paul explains, “Scott wanted to make a film that was a throwback to classic car films like ‘Bullitt’ – something that was raw, gritty and honest without being too polished. And as an actor, those concepts and aspirations for the movie were very, very exciting to me.”

The end result is a unique perspective not often seen in cinema with the audience actually becoming the driver and witnessing all the action from the driver’s point of view.

Capturing this kind of footage on film required a vast amount of work from all areas of the production team. While the photo department was testing cameras the stunt department was busy mapping out logistics. Fortunately for everyone involved, Waugh is a veteran stunt man who comes from a family of stunt performers. As a result, the film attracted some of the greatest precision drivers and best stunt performers in the business, including stunt coordinator Lance Gilbert (“Titanic”) who hails from another of the country’s premier stunt dynasties. Lance is a third generation stuntman going back to his grandfather Joe Yrigoyen (“Ben Hur”) and continuing with his father Mickey Gilbert (“The Fall Guy”) followed by himself and brother Troy Gilbert (“The Lone Ranger”).

Says Paul, “Once I met Lance and learned that he was a third generation stuntman and our stunt coordinator on the film, I knew we were in great hands. It’s not just a job to these guys … it’s a journey that they’re all on together and I trust all of them.”

Principal photography on “Need for Speed” began in Northern California in April, 2013 followed by stops in Georgia, New York, Detroit and Utah. But before Paul or any actors could step foot on set they needed to go to school – stunt driving school – to learn the fundamentals of stunt driving. At Willow Springs Race Track in California’s high desert they were taught basic car control as well as specific stunts like sliding and drifting around corners and reverse 180’s.

According to Paul, “Scott wanted us to learn the practicality of the maneuvers but also how to look cool when doing it.” And ultimately it paid off. One scene called for Tobey to race towards a camera in a Koenigsegg Agera R super car, slam on the emergency break, do a full 180 slide and stop inches from the camera.

“I did it,” says Paul, “and I felt what it was like to be Lance Gilbert or Scott Waugh. I felt like I was part of that family.”

Adds Lance Gilbert, “It’s really about your personal feel with the car and just letting the car do the work while realizing you’re just the guy making it do what it needs to do. And Aaron definitely feels it, knows it and understands it.”

Opening across the Philippines on March 12,“Need for Speed” is distributed in the Philippines by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.

For years Hollywood had been pursuing EA Entertainment, publisher of The Need for Speed – the world's the most successful racing video game series and one of the most successful video game franchises of all time – about turning the game into a feature film. The video game has been published in 22 languages in 60 countries, selling over 140 million units and raking in sales of more than $4 billion.

But the company was hesitant as the majority of games previously made into films had not been successful. So they decided to take a proactive approach and not wait for the perfect script. “We went in knowing the kind of film we wanted to make and looking for experts in the industry to help us make it even better,” says producer Patrick O’Brien. “The brand is important to us, as are its fans, so we knew we had to do it right – and with the right partners – or not do it at all.”

Screenwriter John Gatins (Oscar®-nominee for “Flight”) and his brother and co-writer George own an auto shop where they restore classics. Both have been enamored with the culture of cars since childhood, and when EA visited their garage to discuss a possible screenplay, everyone immediately hit it off. In the Gatins’ brothers they found kindred spirits who spoke the same language and were equally as well versed in cars and filmmaking.

John Gatins says, “What was great about the writing process is that the various iterations of the video game don’t provide a lot of narrative which created an open slate for George and myself to infuse the characters into this world.”

The Gatins ended up delivering a screenplay that was a gear-grinding drama with fully fleshed out characters which captured the freedom and excitement of the game in a real-world setting. EA then partnered with DreamWorks and Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor”) was brought on to direct, resulting in the fast-paced, badass car-racing thriller “Need for Speed.”

The film revolves around Tobey Marshall (“Breaking Bad's” Aaron Paul) who runs his family’s auto shop and races the underground street circuit with his buddies on weekends. Life is good but his whole world is turned upside down when he is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In prison he spends the next two years thinking about one thing: vengeance. While questioning the morals to which he has always adhered, he is nevertheless determined to bring down his enemies … no matter what the cost.

With “Need for Speed,” Waugh wanted to pay tribute to the great car movies from the 1960s and ‘70s by making a film in the same vein as “Bullitt” (1968), “The French Connection” (1971) and “Vanishing Point” (1971) where the car stunts were authentic and executed without any visual effects and looking as realistic as they did in the game.

Waugh explains, “Capturing the action sequences in the camera works on a couple levels. First, there’s an innate trigger in humans when we know something is not real, no matter how good it may look. And on a visceral level you can tell when an actor is in a real environment.”

He continues, “We went back out on the road, travelling at high speeds and hanging out the side of the car to film this. I wanted the audience to really feel what it’s like to drive 230 miles per hour.”

The end product is a unique perspective not often seen in cinema where the audience actually becomes the driver behind the wheel, something that is sure to appeal to fans of The Need for Speed who were drawn to it for the same reason in the first place – the authenticity.

Opening across the Philippines on March 12, “Need for Speed” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Royal Purple has brought online a new video which shows how stunt coordinator Lance Gilbert pulled off one of the major stunts for DreamWorks Pictures' “Need for Speed,” starring Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Dominic Cooper, Michael Keaton and Dakota Johnson.

Check the featurette at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EdSz_W92ow#t=62.

Directed by Scott Waugh, “Need for Speed” 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 (Paul) - who with his team skillfully builds and races muscle cars on the side - reluctantly partners with wealthy, arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Cooper). Just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet (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.

Opening across the Philippines in March 14, 2014, “Need for Speed” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.