‘Gran Turismo’ Zooms From PlayStation to Theaters With First Trailer
It sounds ludicrous; like The Last Starfighter or something. But the trailer for the Gran Turismo movie claims it is based not on the long-running video game series on PlayStation, but on a true story — a true story in which a great player of the Gran Turismo video game was recruited to drive a race car for real.
(Wait, The Last Starfighter wasn’t a documentary all along, was it?!?)
The Gran Turismo games have been a staple of every single generation of the PlayStation since the late 1990s. The racing simulation series has sold tens of millions of copies; it’s one of the most successful gaming franchises in history. But popular racing games have rarely been adapted to successful films. (Remember Need For Speed, anyone?)
You can watch the trailer for Gran Turismo below, which features stars David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, and Djimon Hounsou, and comes from director Neill Blomkamp, who’s better known as a director of sci-fi films like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie. Archie Madekwe plays the lead role, Jann Mardenborough, who is the real-life Last Starfighter (of the racing world) who inspired the film:
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
Based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, the film is the ultimate wish fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver.
A true story and the ultimate wish fulfillment? Only in the movies, baby. Gran Turismo is scheduled to open in theaters on August 11.