Sony is adapting its iconic racing video game franchise for the big screen. The movie kicked off production in late September, and a new post to Sony and Gran Turismo's Twitter accounts reveals that filming has started. The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on August 11, 2023.
Accompanying the announcement was a photo that sadly does not reveal much about the movie. It shows a clapperboard in focus with a row of at least four Nissan GT-R coupes sitting in the background, but they're blurred and obscured from view. They appear to be wearing race liveries, as the movie's plot revolves around a young teenage video game player who becomes a professional race car driver after winning a series of Nissan competitions.
Filming is now underway on #GranTurismoMovie - based on the inspiring true story of a Gran Turismo player, Jann Mardenborough, who won a series of gaming competitions leading him to become an actual professional racecar driver. 🎬🏎 pic.twitter.com/gV13gEg2G5
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) November 12, 2022
The movie sounds like Sony's GT Academy that helped Gran Turismo players translate their video game skills to the rear world. The academy trained players to become pro drivers, and it resulted in producing real race winners. Lucas Ordóñez scored podiums at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The movie stars David Harbour, of Stranger Things fame, who will serve as the kid's coach. Orlando Bloom and Darren Barnet will also star in the Neill Blomkamp-directed film. Blomkamp is best known for his sci-fi works, such as District 9, Elysium, and Chappie. Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi is serving as an executive producer. Jason Hall and Zach Baylin, of American Sniper and King Richard fame, respectively, wrote the script.
Harbor said in a Collider interview this week that "there's a visceralness to this movie" with Blomkamp in the director's chair, adding, "I can't wait for you to see this movie."
The Gran Turismo video game franchise began life in 1997 on the original Sony PlayStation video game console. The franchise's eighth installment, Gran Turismo 7, launched earlier this year for the PlayStation 4 and 5, with over 400 cars available to players. The Gran Turismo movie is just the latest video game property to get the Hollywood treatment. The studio's Uncharted film came out earlier this year, and the company is also working on a Twisted Metal TV series.
