‘Gran Turismo’ Movie Will Star David Harbour

A classic video game series is becoming a movie. Will it be a classic? Has any video game become a classic movie yet?

This one is Gran Turismo, based on the long-running series of PlayStation racing games. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the film is due out in theaters in less than a year, and will star Stranger Things’ David Harbour in one of the lead roles. Technically, from the description, it is not exactly a direct adaption of the games, which are racing simulators, but a movie based a real story about one particular kid who played the game:

Based on a true story, the project is described as the ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver. Harbour will play a retired driver who teaches the teen to drive.

I don’t know this true story the movie is supposedly based on, but that seems like a more potentially fruitful avenue for a story than making a movie about a guy who drives really fast in a car.

The original Gran Turismo game debuted in 1997 on the very first PlayStation console. The series has sold tens of millions of copies through the last 25 years; the most recent installment, Gran Turismo 7, was released in March of this year. This movie adaptation will be directed by Neill Blomkamp, previously of District 9, Elysium, and Chappie. The script for the film was written by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. No other casting has been announced so far.

Gran Turismo is scheduled to open in theaters on August 11, 2023.

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