Sony Is Making a Gran Turismo TV Show, Somehow
If it’s anything like the previously proposed movie, the show would tell the story of how a gamer turned into a real racing driver.
Sony is working on a "Gran Turismo" TV show, the company announced Thursday in an earnings presentation. It's apparently being produced in the same vein as the "Uncharted" movie that came out this year and HBO's upcoming series based on "The Last of Us" so, no, it doesn't sound like it will be a full-length, Polyphony-backed version of that mock episode of "Best Motoring" one gamer created in "GT7" earlier this month.
"Right now, there are currently 10 additional film and television projects with PlayStation in various stages of production and development including 'The Last of Us,' 'Twisted Metal,' and 'Ghost of Tsushima,'" Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra said. According to Push Square, confirmation that "Gran Turismo" is also part of that list came during the presentation's Q&A session, which isn't immediately available online. The entertainment exec also says that the willingness to turn PS games into movies and shows comes off the back of the success of the aforementioned "Uncharted" movie, which netted $400 million in revenue for the company.
While TV shows adapted from PlayStation's "God of War" and "Horizon" game franchises will appear on Amazon Prime and Netflix, respectively, Sony has reportedly yet to secure a home for the racing simulator-themed television series.
Notably, this isn't the first time Hollywood has committed to bringing GT to the controller-less screen. Per Destructoid, a "Gran Turismo" movie was announced way back in 2013—reportedly after seven years of annual offers to bring GT to theaters—and would have told the story of Lucas Ordoñez. Ordoñez was the first winner of the game's GT Academy competition in 2008 which aimed to turn talented gamers into actual, honest-to-god race car drivers. He went on to get a seat at the real-life Le Mans in 2011 and finished second in the LMP2 category for the Signatech Nissan team.
From the old Destructoid report: "[Game creator] Yamauchi says he envisions a film that starts out with a mother that is worried about a son that always plays video games. He says it should end with this same boy turning into a full-fledged racing champ." So, instead of "Ford v Ferrari," it would've been more like "Pro Gamer v Mom".
That project never materialized, though, and Sony hasn't said whether the upcoming "Gran Turismo" TV show will go in the same direction, story-wise.
Got a tip or question for the author about the "Gran Turismo" TV show? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com
