The first trailer for the upcoming live-action Gran Turismo movie from District 9 director Neill Blomkamp has arrived and it’s full of reminders that sim racing and real-life racing are two different kinds of adrenaline rushes. Based on the best-selling racing simulator series of video games from Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo tells the true story of how a gamer became a real racer.
The Gran Turismo movie is set to release this August and recounts the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a gamer who went on to win the GT Academy esports tournament in 2011 and later compete as a real-life professional racer in the Japanese Super GT series. The movie stars Midsommar‘s Archie Madekwe as Mardenborough alongside stars such as Orlando Bloom, David Harbour, Djimon Hounsou and Geri Horner.
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Since the games don’t exactly contain stories, the Gran Turismo movie is taking its own approach to adapting Polyphony’s titles by setting it in real-life where Gran Turismo exists as the video games. The trailer wastes no time reminding audiences that gaming is not the same as racing in the real world – a challenge that Jann Mardenborough must overcome through extensive physical training. Harbour gets to yell at “scrawny little gamer kids” for most of the trailer too.
Neill Blomkamp, best known for directing District 9, Elysium and Chappie, will direct Gran Turismo. PlayStation Productions head Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan will serve as the movie’s producers alongside Gran Turismo series creator and Polyphony Digital present Kazunori Yamauchi taking on an executive producer role.
As of writing, the Gran Turismo video games have collectively sold over 90 million copies since the launch of the first PlayStation game in 1997.
The Gran Turismo movie races into cinemas on 11 August 2023. Check out the first trailer below:
Source: Sony Pictures
