The latest video-game-to-film-adaptation will see popular racing game Gran Turismo head to the silver screen, and Stranger Things star David Harbour has been cast in the lead. District 9 director Neill Blomkamp is attached to direct, and being a PlayStation game, the film is naturally in development at Sony.
Gran Turismo is a racing game franchise built around realism, with players driving real cars that are designed to feel and handle like the car would in real life. The games do not have any overarching story, but according to reports, the movie will be going in a meta direction.
The film will be based on a true story of a teenage fan of the game series whose gaming skills earned him a chance to become a professional race car driver. Harbour is said to be playing a retired driver who teaches the teen how to drive.
The film will be produced by Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan for PlayStation Productions, along with Doug Belgrad and Dana Brunetti. Additionally, Hall will be executive producing alongside the game’s creator Kazunori Yamauchi. Qizilbash said in a statement:
“As one of PlayStation’s longest standing and most beloved franchises, it’s great to be partnering with Columbia Pictures again to bring Gran Turismo to life in an exciting way. We can’t wait for audiences to see Neill’s vision of this inspiring true story of gamer turned professional race car driver.”
The film will only be Blomkamp’s second movie since 2015’s Chappie. He directed horror movie Demonic last year, but his star has fallen since he burst onto the scene in 2009 with District 9. But this is his chance to entrance audiences again. Even though the film is not in his beloved sci-fi genre, there should be plenty of racing scenes for him to sink his teeth into.
Since breaking out on Stranger Things, Harbour has joined the MCU in Black Widow, rebooted Hellboy, and lent his voice to Star Wars: Visions. He can next be seen in holiday movie Violent Night, where he plays an action hero Santa Claus, and Netflix comedy We Have A Ghost. It was also recently announced that he would return to the MCU as one of the stars of Thunderbolts.
The film version of Gran Turismo is currently scheduled for a theatrical release on August 11, 2023.
#Peace.Love.GranTurismo
