The Gran Turismo franchise began just over 25 years ago, and it has been a standout fan favorite among realistic sim racers ever since. In a move that would surprise many, after the release of the seventh main game in the series, the franchise is finally heading to the big screen next year.
After the financial success of Uncharted, Sony has been going all in on video game adaptations. They've got Ghosts of Tsushima on its way from the director of John Wick, along with HBO's The Last of Us series. Though one could easily see how those story-rich games would make the leap, a game about driving cars very fast might be a slightly harder property to adapt.
There's not generally much of a story in the Gran Turismo franchise. Where competitors like Need for Speed typically feature characters and plot elements, Gran Turismo is more focused on providing accurately simulated driving action. With that in mind, the obvious pitch for a movie would be a generic racing movie with a marketable name attached. In a show of brilliance, Columbia Pictures and PlayStation Productions have a different idea. The Gran Turismo movie will tell the inspirational true story of a teen racing game fanatic who uses his incredible skills to become a real racecar driver. This allows the talent to explore the impact of the game from a metatextual perspective while also providing a reason to make it a video game movie. A very clever pitch for an otherwise bizarre adaptation.
The film will follow the tale of Jann Mardenborough, who became the youngest winner of the GT Academy competition. He beat out 90,000 other competitors when he was just 19, despite never competing at a professional level before that year. After winning under seemingly impossible circumstances, Mardenborough became a professional driver. His gaming knowledge earned him the chance to prove himself in multiple real races, repeatedly demonstrating incredible driving talents. He still partially credits his Gran Turismo experience with his ability to drive professionally. He performed admirably in huge races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013. He's since become a Super GT and Super Formula racer in Japan. His incredible rise through the ranks will receive a classic Hollywood sports movie glow-up and become the basis of the 2013 film.
With an excellent story to work with, the Gran Turismo movie just needs some talent on and off-screen to bring it to life. Archie Madekwe will take on the starring role of Mardenborough, or the film's equivalent. Madekwe is perhaps best known for his roles in See and Voyagers, or his bit part in Ari Aster's Midsommar. Madekwe's character will be coached to become a real driver by Stranger Things star David Harbour. The highest-ranked competitor in the GT Academy program will be portrayed by Never Have I Ever's Darren Barnet. His parents will be portrayed by Djimon Hounsou and Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell. He'll have a rival portrayed by Josha Stradowski of Wheel of Time and that rival's dad will be portrayed by Thomas Kretschmann. Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom is also attached without any confirmed role.
That's an interesting and varied cast with several well-known names and some upcoming talent, but who's behind the scenes on this project? None other than Neill Blomkamp is currently attached to direct. The visionary behind District 9 has had a strange career since his groundbreaking debut, and this isn't the project anyone would've guessed he'd be heading toward next. He's done little to no work in the sports genre, but his origin story does involve a failed attempt to make a video game movie. There are two credited writers on the film, Jason Hall and Will Dunn. Hall is a bit of an oddball. His two biggest credits are American Sniper and a grim PTSD-based drama released in 2017 starring Miles Teller called Thank You for Your Service. He has more credits as an actor than a writer, so there's not much to go off of. Dunn, on the other hand, is almost exclusively known for his work on Ms. Marvel. It's a strange crew, but there's clearly a lot of talent on display.
Gran Turismo doesn't sound like the best video game to make a movie out of, but the pitch coming to the big screen is probably the best-case scenario. The entire project has a lot of unique moving parts that could make for a stellar video game movie. With a unique cast, a solid premise, an inspiring true story, and a strange list of oddball talents behind the camera, the Gran Turismo movie seems set to upset some expectations. Fans will be waiting for just under a year, as Gran Turismo is scheduled to hit theaters on August 11th, 2023.
