Josie Maran to Appear in NFS: Most Wanted

July 26, 2005, 10:24 am EDT
Total comments: 6

The "E" is EA stands for "Eye Candy."

EA Signs Model and Actress Josie Maran to Star in Need for Speed Most Wanted; EA Redefines In-Game Movies With Cinematic Scenes That Blend Live-Action Video with Real-Time Gameplay

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 2005--Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that model and actress, Josie Maran, will star in Need for Speed(TM) Most Wanted launching in November 2005. EA has created a new process that takes Hi-Definition footage of live actors and converts them into synthetic-looking videogame characters. This revolutionary new process delivers never-before-seen character, motion and facial fidelity with seamless integration into true 3D game environments.

Maran has played supporting roles in hit films including Van Helsing, Aviator and Thelma. She is currently the Maybelline cover girl and has graced covers for Glamour, Self, Vogue, Marie Claire, Seventeen and Lucky Magazine. In Need for Speed Most Wanted, Maran takes on the role of a local street racer named Mia. Maran's character pulls players deeper into the illicit street racing world of Need for Speed Most Wanted as they try to earn respect by beating the top racers on the scene to rise to the top of the Blacklist.

"Video games are much more personal than films since it's an interactive experience for the audience; it's like being invited into their home," said Maran. "For Need for Speed Most Wanted, we performed in front of a green screen, much like a Hollywood set, so all the gamers will see will be real-life video of the actors merged into environments from the game; it's simply amazing."

EA has also tapped into top Hollywood talent including director, David Footman, cinematographer, Brian Pearson, as well as EA's own Senior Art Director and two-time Academy Award nominated visual effects supervisor, Habib Zargarpour, for the green screen video shoot with Maran. Footman's credits include blockbuster films such as The Day After Tomorrow and X-Men, Pearson worked on the hit TV show, Dark Angel, as well as feature films, I, Robot and Underworld: Evolution, and Zargarpour worked on Twister and The Perfect Storm.

Talkback

KDR_11kJuly 26, 2005

"We couldn't think of anything new for the gameplay so now we're hiring whores and put them in the game. At least it keeps the character guys, err..., our proprietary face scan technology, busy."

DjunknownJuly 26, 2005

Its a step up from Brooke Burke. She was a tease pure and simple.

Quote
For Need for Speed Most Wanted, we performed in front of a green screen, much like a Hollywood set, so all the gamers will see will be real-life video of the actors merged into environments from the game; it's simply amazing."

Didn't Myst do something like that? Remember those FMV games like Sewer Shark, Under a Killing Moon, and the Deadulus Encounter? It seems what's old is new again....

Hostile CreationJuly 26, 2005

Josie Maran is far and away my favorite model ever. She's just about the only one I know by name.
Part of the reason I like her so much is she reminds me of a really cool girl I know (they look vaguely similar). So the beauty combined with the personality of that girl developed a sort of attachment to her.

NinGurl69 *hugglesJuly 26, 2005

Quote
Originally posted by: Djunknown
Its a step up from Brooke Burke. She was a tease pure and simple.

Quote
For Need for Speed Most Wanted, we performed in front of a green screen, much like a Hollywood set, so all the gamers will see will be real-life video of the actors merged into environments from the game; it's simply amazing."

Didn't Myst do something like that? Remember those FMV games like Sewer Shark, Under a Killing Moon, and the Deadulus Encounter? It seems what's old is new again....

Don't forget Mortal Kombat and a couple Wing Commanders =D

Infernal MonkeyJuly 27, 2005

Quote
Originally posted by: Djunknown
Its a step up from Brooke Burke. She was a tease pure and simple.

Quote
For Need for Speed Most Wanted, we performed in front of a green screen, much like a Hollywood set, so all the gamers will see will be real-life video of the actors merged into environments from the game; it's simply amazing."

Didn't Myst do something like that? Remember those FMV games like Sewer Shark, Under a Killing Moon, and the Deadulus Encounter? It seems what's old is new again....

Ah, Sewer Shark. Watch the tiny badly compressed video for fifteen minutes, press C button. Press C button some more, watch another fifteen minutes of video. Somehow get a Game Over screen.

The best part is NFS:MW will have even less gameplay.

KDR_11kJuly 27, 2005

Ah, Sewer Shark. Watch the tiny badly compressed video for fifteen minutes, press C button. Press C button some more, watch another fifteen minutes of video. Somehow get a Game Over screen.

Remove the "badly compressed" and replace "C" with "X" (for PS#) or "A" (for XB/GC) and you got any modern jRPG.

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