David Harbour, best known for starring in Stranger Things as Sheriff Jim Hopper and the Hellboy reboot as the titular character, has joined the cast of Sony’s upcoming Gran Turismo movie. The live-action adaptation of the popular racing simulator franchise on PlayStation will be directed by District 9 director Neill Blomkamp.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Harbour will portray a retired driver and mentor figure to a teenager who drives in Gran Turismo. The movie will take a rather unique direction as it will reportedly be loosely based on the real events of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won various Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racer.
MORE GRAN TURISMO – Sony Doubles Car Prices in Gran Turismo 7 Because They Increased in Real Life
Blomkamp will direct the Gran Turismo movie for PlayStation Productions with a script co-written by American Sniper‘s Jason Hall and King Richard‘s Zach Baylin.
In related news, Sony is pushing forward with plenty of live-action projects based on its exclusive IPs. These include a newly announced Horizon Zero Dawn television series currently in the works at Netflix, with a God of War show also in development at Amazon Studios. A Ghost of Tsushima movie from John Wick director Chad Stahelski was also announced in addition to a Days Gone movie adaptation.
Gran Turismo is one of Sony’s longest-running franchises. The first racing simulator game first appeared on the original PlayStation including its sequel. The third and fourth acclaimed titles released on PS2, while the fifth and sixth launched exclusively on PS3. Gran Turismo Sport, a spin-off from the mainline series, released on PS4. Earlier this year, PlayStation and developer Polyphony Digital released Gran Turismo 7 for PS4 and PS5.
The Gran Turismo movie has a release date of 11 August 2023. Stay tuned for more casting confirmations in the near future.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
