Gran Turismo is based on the extremely popular racing sim video game franchise of the same name exclusive to Sony’s PlayStation console platform, holding the position as PlayStation’s highest-selling video game franchise, with 85 million units sold over 25 years and 6 consoles. This immense success started early on and led to every Gran Turismo game being ranked highly, with a previously unseen level of focus on realism and the racing experience, which is now commonplace in the genre largely due to the series’ influence. More recently, this popularity has led Sony to branch out with the Gran Turismo IP, announcing a live-action adaptation.
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The announced project went forward, with Sony Pictures and PlayStation Production giving a release date as well as the first Gran Turismo movie details in June of 2022. The movie will be based on a real-life story and center on the tale of a gamer whose exploits in the game lead to fulfilling his real-life wish of becoming a professional racer. Since then, the project has added several big names to the project, with The Hollywood Reporter reporting that stars Hounsou and Halliwell-Horner have become the latest to join the increasingly star-studded production under the watchful eye of famed sci-fi director Neill Blomkamp.
The Gran Turismo movie has enjoyed a lot of attention since its inception, with each subsequent casting announcement leading to even more public interest, such as the reveal that Orlando Bloom had been cast alongside David Harbour, who had been announced as a part of the cast prior. Hounsou and Halliwell-Horner are equally impressive additions, with Hounsou recently appearing in A Quiet Place Part II and set to appear in Warner Bros Discovery’s DCEU project Shazam! Fury of the Gods, while Halliwell-Horner is well known for her time with international musical sensations The Spice Girls as Ginger Spice. While the production is still generally silent on details, it has been confirmed that Halliwell-Horner and Honsou will be portraying the parents of the protagonist.
While there seems to be some precedent for successful adaptations of Sony’s Playstation catalogue, some fans might be a bit put off by the meta nature of the film’s plot, which deviates sharply from the regular adaptation style. However, this doesn’t mean that everyone is enthusiastic about some of the company’s decisions regarding the mainline game titles, as demonstrated by Gran Turismo 7 fans being upset by the game’s microtransactions. On that note, an ambitious adaptation removed from the actual game might be an appealing distraction for some.
Gran Turismo is scheduled to be released theatrically on August 11th, 2023.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
