Sony’s Gran Turismo games are getting the Hollywood treatment with an upcoming movie. Just peeked in, and some big names paraded at the wheel. The film is directed by Neil Blomkamp, and features David Harbor and Orlando Bloom supporting Commander Archie Madekwe (known from Apple TV Plus See series).
Sony’s Gran Turismo movie title is based on a true story – for all we know
Always more of a simulation than a story, the Gran Turismo games are perhaps a surprising choice to alter a movie. They are more than a tribute to the story of the car itself – Gran Turismo 7 It starts with an 8-minute video on the history of the car. Then again, maybe a blank slate is a good thing given the forgettable Need For Speed movie.
Rather than creating an original story, the film will instead focus on a real-life story born out of the game itself as it follows a young British teen Jan Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe) who transitions from gaming on his PlayStation to real-life GT. Racing after winning the third series of the Gran Turismo Academy. Mardenborough is currently racing in Sony’s home Japan in the Super GT series.
Gran Turismo movie release date
Gran Turismo gets an exclusive theatrical release on August 11, 2023.
First look at Gran Turismo
In the clip below, Archie Madekwe, who plays Jan Mardenborough, says Gran Turismo will feature “drama” and a “love story”. We also see two of its super-enthusiastic co-stars, Orlando Bloom (declaring the movie made for theaters) and David Harbor talking about how it “doesn’t get any better than this.”
The cast and crew of the Gran Turismo movie
With Neil Blomkamp directing Chappie, Elysium, and District 9 (although no crossover is expected), we could be in for a treat. Audiences can probably expect typical documentary-style camera work and nonfiction filmmaking as we see Jean become the professional racing driver he is today.
The video itself doesn’t hint at much in the way of anecdotes, but the cinematography with plenty of drone footage feels more like a game camera. We also learn the names of the characters of Harbor and Bloom. Harbor plays Jack Salter, Jan’s coach, while Bloom plays Motorsports Marketing Director Danny Moore.
Spice Girl Gerri Halliwell-Horner (who is of course married to Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner) is also scheduled to feature, but I doubt we’ll see Jann racing against a profanity-laced Sergio Perez or Max Verstappen.
