Gran Turismo Movie Launches August 11th
Sony recently released the trailer for their new movie, Gran Turismo, as a feature film with an interesting premise and star-studded cast revolving around the Polyphony Digital-developed and Sony-published franchise of the same name. It’s directed by Neill Blomkamp who is best known for his sci-fi movies District 9 and Elysium. This might not be the first time a video game-inspired movie has hit the big screen, but it does have an interesting “true events” twist. Instead of taking place within the world of the game (which admittedly might have been difficult considering Gran Turismo is a racing sim), the movie is actually inspired by the real-life story of British professional racer Jann Mardenborough. Judging from the trailers and available media so far it doesn’t sound like it’s a direct adaptation, but rather just borrowing the details of his journey into professional racing.
While the story might drift away from its inspiration in the latter parts of the movie, it looks like both start their journey in the same fashion with the main character competing against other hopefuls in the virtual gaming GT Academy program run by Nissan and Sony. The trailer seems to present the movie as a classic “underdog” story and gamers might find themselves relating to the main character more than your average viewer. Archie Madekwe (Midommar) plays Mardenborough as he shows off his impressive driving skills in an immersive set-up. David Harbor (Stranger Things) plays Jack Salter, a retired driver who doesn’t believe video game skills will translate into real-life skills, and Djimon Hounsou (Shazam!) plays the disapproving father. Two common tropes gamers are likely to have encountered in some form throughout their life on some form. On the other hand, we have Orland Bloom, who plays Danny Moore, a marketing executive that believes in Mardenborough and the untapped potential of gamers.
If you’re looking to try out the racing sim before the movie, the most recent release is Gran Turismo 7. Released in 2022, this newest chapter seems to have pleased critics (87 on Metacritic) but not users (2.2 user score) with their overuse of microtransactions. Released in 2022, this newest chapter seems to have pleased critics (87 on Metacritic) but not users (2.2 user score) with their overuse of microtransactions. Perhaps the additional press around the movie will help the franchise turn its community around.
The real-life Jann Mardenborough seems happy with the movie, posting the trailer on his Instagram along with the quote: "Pleased my family name will be immortalized. And to whomever gains some positivity in their life by watching, Enjoy"
Are you looking forward to the movie?
What skills from video games do you think would translate well into the real world? Let me know!