The relentless push for the Japanese tech giant to turn its PlayStation franchises into TV programmes and films continues unabated. Hot on the heels of HBO’s The Last of Us rendition and the Uncharted adaptation follows not God of War or Horizon, but perhaps surprisingly the Gran Turismo film.
Directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9), this is not the story of laser scanning tracks or recording the V10 gargle of a Lamborghini Huracan – although a Netflix-style documentary wouldn’t go amiss. Instead, the set up is to show that video game players are talented enough to become motorsport competitors. This exposition is based on the true story of aspiring racing driver Jann Mardenborough, played here by Archie Madekwe (Midsommar) who, in 2011, won the GT Academy competition that took Gran Turismo drivers from their consoles to the real-world Nissan team.
“These are the fastest sim racers in the world,” intones Orlando Bloom’s (Pirates of the Caribbean) cocksure Danny Moore character, who is credited with the creation of the programme. Once the manufacturer is onboard with the idea, he’s trying to convince grizzled former racing driver and current mechanic Jack Salter, played by David Harbour (Stranger Things), to join in.
Source: Autosport