The Crew Behind the ‘Gran Turismo’ Movie Might Actually Make It Good
The racing game isn’t known for its story, but Sony Pictures is making big hires for the film to tie everything together.
The upcoming Gran Turismo movie might be a film no one asked for, but here's to hoping it'll actually be decent.
It will star David Harbour, the actor known for playing roles like Chief James Hopper in Stranger Things. As covered by the Hollywood Reporter, there are several big names attached to the project. The director is none other than Neill Blomkamp, best known for his work on sci-fi horror flick District 9. The screenplay will be written by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin, previously known for penning American Sniper and King Richard, respectively.
Fans of the Gran Turismo video games will note that the series isn't exactly known for its storylines. Indeed, it doesn't really have any. However, the upcoming film will have some semblance of a plot. It's set to follow the story of a teenager that builds a real racing career through winning competitions playing Gran Turismo. It's essentially based on the story of GT Academy winners like Lucas Ordóñez that won real-world racing drives based on their performance in the game.
The film is set to debut on August 11, 2023. As to whether it will be good or not, who could possibly say? Blomkamp has plenty of great directing credits, including the classic BMW film The Escape. He's proven time again that he has the ability to create compelling science-fiction worlds. It'll be interesting to see how he fares directing a film in the more grounded arena of motorsport.
Harbour himself is also an adept actor, capable of deep gravitas as well as humor when needed. He'll apparently play a retired driver who teaches the teen character how to drive, something which should dovetail nicely given his previous acting roles as a father figure.
Fundamentally, though, Gran Turismo is the latest zero-plot game inexplicably turned into a movie. Sony Pictures will be hoping that it's a roaring success in exactly the same way Battleship wasn't.
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