It's official: Hollywood is addicted to Aaron Paul. The young star is on a career high right now thanks to his Emmy-winning role on the hit AMC TV show Breaking Bad. You might even say he's...I can't think of any more drug puns.
In all seriousness though, Paul is smoking the competition. (Ha, I got one more!) Not only did Paul recently star in the indie drama Smashed, which was picked up by Sony following a successful premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, but the actor has now reportedly signed on to star in DreamWorks upcoming Need for Speed movie.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Paul has agreed to play the lead in the film, which is based on the popular EA videogame franchise. The movie, which was conceived and written by George and John Gatins, will be directed by Scott Waugh, who made the acclaimed military movie Act of Valor last year.
Need For Speed starts shooting early next year and will look to capture some of the box office success of the hugely popular Fast and Furious franchise. It remains to be seen whether Paul's presence in the movie is enough to elevate the film beyond standard genre fare, but the actor's involvement is certainly enough to pique our interest.
On the TV front, Paul can next be seen in the second half of the fifth and final season of Breaking Bad (check here for our review of the Season 5 mid-season finale) which begins next summer. As Jesse Pinkman, Paul has created one of TV's most interesting and sympathetic characters.
While Bryan Cranston's Walter White has become more and more manipulative and maniacal, Jesse has never strayed far from his basically decent moral center. It's a tricky role to get right, but one that Paul has excelled in, earning him rave reviews and multiple award nominations. Needless to say, when Breaking Bad returns next year, Jesse's ultimate fate will be one of the key things fans want to know.
Do you think Aaron Paul is the right actor to bring Need for Speed to the big screen? Let us know in the comments.
Need For Speed will be in theaters February 7th, 2014.