Gran Turismo – can Tetris: The Movie be far behind? (pic: Sony)
It turns out that a movie based on Gran Turismo does make sense after all, as the first footage reveals what it’s all about.
In the past, Hollywood has had a strange habit of only making films based on games with little or no story. That has changed more recently, with adaptations of franchises like Uncharted, but up until now Gran Turismo has seemed so bizarre an idea it almost felt like a joke.
However, the first footage is not only real, but it explains why the film makes sense and how it has a much closer connection to its source material than any other video game movie.
The film is based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a British fan who won the GTA Academy competition in 2011 and then went on to race at Le Mans and the Japanese Super GT series.
Actually, the trailer doesn’t really explain any of that, despite being a sort of behind the scenes pitch by various of the film’s actors, including Stranger Things’ David Harbour as Jann’s trainer. But the premise is made clear in the accompanying descriptions.
Lead actor Archie Madekwe is best known for Apple TV+ series See, while the film features other big name stars including Orlando Bloom, Djimon Hounsou, and… Geri Halliwell?
Considering it ended in 2016, we’re not sure most Gran Turismo players know about GTA Academy, let alone the general public, but it is an interestingly unique way to make a video game movie and not just turn it into a generic action movie.
If it’s a success, it raises the prospect of seeing similar films based on things like FIFA or Forza Motorsport.
The Gran Turismo movie is out this August and while director Neill Blomkamp has seemed to be caught in a downward spiral since District 9 he’s not writing the script for this one, which is also a good sign.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter.
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.