After the success of Uncharted, Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions are set to partner up again for the film adaptation of the popular racing game Gran Turismo. The film is in the early stages of development, so little is known about the plot or if it will be animated or live-action. However, Deadline reports that Sony is looking at Neill Blomkamp to direct the film.
Neill Blomkamp is best known for his sci-fi action movies like District 9 and Elysium. He also spent several years developing the HALO live-action film, but the internal politics between Universal, Fox Studios, and Microsoft derailed the production before it even began. After several other failed projects, including Alien 5 and the Robocop legacy sequel, Blomkamp declared that he won't work on big-budget films anymore and will instead focus on short films.
But if reports of Blomkamp adapting Gran Turismo are true, then it’ll be a treat for gaming enthusiasts and racing aficionados, as the director is known for his incredible attention to detail and has vast experience working as a 3-D animator and visual effects artist. You can check out Blomkamp’s HALO short films on YouTube to get a better idea of his work.
Sony announced a slew of projects recently, including the long-awaited God of War series, in development at Amazon and Horizon Zero Dawn series at Netflix. Rumors were circulating that Gran Turismo would also get a TV series, but Deadline has confirmed otherwise.
Gran Turismo is a racing simulation game created by Kazunori Yamauchi of Polyphony Digital in 1997. It is one of the best-selling video game franchises ever, having sold over 85 million copies worldwide. In Yamauchi’s own words, the game is described as:
"Gran Turismo is an integrated simulator for enjoying life with cars. It's a sandbox where players can freely discover experiences on their own. Various features, the engines and systems supporting these on the back end, along with the massive amount of content, will set players up to enjoy their life with cars."
Gran Turismo has had a long road to get here. The film has been in development for a decade and had Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Top Gun: Maverick) attached as director. Kosinski was rewriting Alex Tse’s (Watchmen) script in 2015, but the project ultimately fell through.
Gran Turismo is one of Many Video Game Adaptation in Works Right Now in Hollywood
Hollywood is cashing in on the ever-growing popularity of video games with live-action and animated adaptations. Although, the majority of those released till now ended up being outright terrible or outraged the fans by not respecting the source material. There just doesn’t seem to be a successful, non-controversial video game movie. But that trend is slowly changing with films like Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokemon, which’ve not only pleased the critics but the fans as well.
Several popular PlayStation and PC games are currently in the works, many of them by Sony Pictures TV, like The Last of Us series at HBO and Twisted Metal at Peacock. Borderlands, Metal Gear Solid, and Splinter Cell will be getting the big-screen treatment. Hopefully, they’ll stay true to the games’ story. As for Gran Turismo, if it's live-action, it could fill the void which’ll be created by the conclusion of the Fast & Furious series in 2024. With barely any plot or memorable characters in the games, Gran Turismo is a dream project for any writer, and all the makers need to do is deliver exciting world-building and thrilling racing.