Gran Turismo star David Harbour has revealed that he wasn't quite sold on the film to start with!
In the latest issue of Total Film Magazine (#340, on sale now), David Harbour shared that he initially thought the latest video game adaptation was a "ridiculous" idea for a movie.
Based on a true story, the Gran Turismo movie follows Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a gifted young Gran Turismo player who was given his shot by the TV contest, GT Academy. It gave some of the ultrarealistic PlayStation racing simulator's very best players the chance to get behind the wheel for real and see whether their gaming skills can be applied to the real world.
"I mean, initially, when they told me it was Gran Turismo the movie, I thought it was ridiculous', the Stranger Things star said. "I had no interest, because so often I've been very disappointed by video-game movies. I think it's a really hard genre to crack."
So, what piqued David Habour's interest? It was realising that it's not a straight game-to movie adaptation. "Then they sent me the script, and I realised... it's a sports movie wrapped up in a video-game movie", he said.
In the movie, David Harbour plays Jack Salter, the chief engineer who ends up coaching the would-be drivers for their real-life racing debut. From the trailers we've seen so far, he's keen to impress on them that the world of professional racing is far more demanding, and more dangerous than what Jann and the others might expect.
Video game projects have, historically, not delivered. But this year, we've already seen huge success with The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the first season of HBO's take on The Last Of Us.
Harbour went on to share why he thought video game adaptation might be becoming a bigger deal. "I think it's a company modus operandi", he added. "They are not as interested in making money... They realise that their games themselves make money, and what they want to make is something artistically successful.
"That's at least what I've heard from the PlayStation guys who worked on this, and I think that's really exciting... You can make something that just has integrity, and that you can feel proud of."
Gran Turismo hits US theaters on Friday, August 11 and UK cinemas on Wednesday, August 9. For more info on all the latest releases, check out our guide to the new movies coming your way this year.
