Editor’s note: All interviews for this story were conducted prior to the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
I’ll be honest with you. I was not super excited about seeing the new movie Gran Turismo. I’m not a big racing person, I had never played the game and the trailers didn’t exactly jump out at me.
Two hours and 15 minutes later, I left the theater with a wholly changed perspective. I was wrong. I loved it.
It’s certainly not perfect and falls victim to some of the cheesiness to which all sports movies are susceptible, but once it gets into gear, you are fully engrossed.
If Gran Turismo wasn’t based — albeit loosely — on the real-life experiences of an actual person, you’d think it was far too ridiculous to be believed. Gran Turismo, which hits theaters on August 25, tells the story of Jann Mardenborough, a driver that got his start in a very unorthodox way.
The stakes just got higher. Based on the insane true story, #GranTurismoMovie is in Premium Formats and IMAX this weekend. In theaters everywhere August 25. Get Tickets now! https://t.co/sTTK00HObb pic.twitter.com/7asdodcSeh
— Gran Turismo: Based On A True Story (@granturismo) August 6, 2023
Mardenborough, played by the wonderful Archie Madekwe (Midsommar), became the youngest winner of the GT Academy in 2011. A gamer who had driven primarily through the simulated racing of the uber-popular Gran Turismo racing games, Mardenborough is thrown into the world of actual racing with real-life stakes.
“If somebody had just written this, like it wasn’t a real story, everyone would be like, ‘This is the dumbest movie we’ve ever seen. Like a video game kid could become a real driver,'” actor David Harbour told For The Win. “The fact that it’s true is incredible.”
Harbour (Stranger Things, Black Widow) joins as Jack Salter, the gruff former driver who’s charged with coaching the gamers on a real track, and Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean) plays idea man/business guru Danny Moore.
In a movie with incredible and breathtaking driving scenes, it’s the cast that really sells it. Mardenborough’s parents are played by two-time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, Guardians of the Galaxy) and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell Horner.
Gran Turismo is full of heart and heart-stopping action, making it a top-tier sports movie.
“I felt that in the reading of the script it has this Hoosiers quality to it, this feel-good sports movie,” Harbour said. “To be able to recreate that was a real gift.”
Harbour also credits director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) for giving them so much space to operate in the roles. But Madekwe is undoubtedly the star. The 28-year-old is emotional, compelling and convincing as the determined Mardenborough, and he had to learn how to both play the game Gran Turismo — all of the in-movie game sequences are real — and also how to drive an actual race car.
But which one was harder? “There was so much repetition, and it was such a new thing for me playing GT. It’s so specific and so delicate, like I could breathe too heavy and I would spin out and crash,” Madekwe said.
Madekwe had the benefit of Mardenborough being on set and driving stunts. This allowed for the young actor to get feedback and bounce ideas off him.
Go for the fast-paced action and amazing racing scenes, but stay for the incredible cast and story. Gran Turismo hits theaters everywhere August 25.
