Obviously the big news of the day, as it pertains to the intersection of video games and Hollywood, is how Valve and J.J. Abrams will be developing films based upon Portal and/or Half-Life.
But that's not all folks. Because we also have a Need For Speed movie to looking forward to. Actually, that's somewhat old news, though what is hot off the presses is word of Michael Keaton’s involvement.
Polygon has the details as far as the plot is concerned: a local street racer hooks up with a person who has money in his pocket and big plans in his head. But the latter (presumably the hero of the story) is framed (presumably by the former, who is therefore the bad guy) and sent to jail.
Once out, the racer's former partner places a bounty on his ex partner's head, which leads to a cross-country race across the America. It would appear that Keaton will play the role of the person who hosts this contest.
Keaton is best known for his supporting role in Jackie Brown and his starring role in both Beetlejuice and the Tim Burton Batman flicks (where he played arguably the superior version of the caped crusader; sorry Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale fans).
The movie will be directed by Scott Waugh, best known for Act of Valor (he's also going to helm the big screen adaption of Hawken), and produced by Dreamworks. Production begins later this year, and the release date at the moment is Feb. 7, 2014.