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“Gran Turismo” is the latest video game movie from PlayStation Productions and it’s available to stream as a digital purchase on Amazon Prime Video on September 26.
Buy: Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story $24.99
Directed by Neill Blomkamp, the film follows Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a British teenage gamer who dreams of being a Formula One racer — despite his father’s (Djimon Hounsou) disapproval.
Meanwhile, when marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) pitches Nissan on the idea that the car company’s next professional driver should be one of the best “Gran Turismo” video game players in the world, Jann’s dreams may come true when he’s paired with Jack Salter (David Harbour), a former pro and turned mechanic, to help him win the big race — the 24 Hours of Le Mans,...
“Gran Turismo” is the latest video game movie from PlayStation Productions and it’s available to stream as a digital purchase on Amazon Prime Video on September 26.
Buy: Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story $24.99
Directed by Neill Blomkamp, the film follows Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a British teenage gamer who dreams of being a Formula One racer — despite his father’s (Djimon Hounsou) disapproval.
Meanwhile, when marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) pitches Nissan on the idea that the car company’s next professional driver should be one of the best “Gran Turismo” video game players in the world, Jann’s dreams may come true when he’s paired with Jack Salter (David Harbour), a former pro and turned mechanic, to help him win the big race — the 24 Hours of Le Mans,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Rudie Obias
- Variety Film + TV
South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp has directed five major feature films to date: the Oscar-nominated "District 9" in 2009, the class-conscious sci-fi tragedy "Elysium" in 2013, the oddball "Short Circuit"/"RoboCop" mashup "Chappie" in 2015, the low-budget stinker "Demonic" in 2021, and now the video-game-adjacent biography "Gran Turismo" in 2023.
With the exception of "Demonic," each of Blomkamp's films is explicitly or implicitly about class. "District 9" is about alien visitors who are forced to live in a run-down shanty town outside of Johannesburg. "Elysium" features a posh space station where the wealthy live in comfort while the impoverished live on the overheated, overpopulated Earth below. "Chappie" is an Acab movie about a police robot coming to fight for the people and against its corporate creators.
"Gran Turismo," meanwhile, is about Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), an expert player of the titular racing video game, who is tapped by Nissan to become a race car driver for real.
With the exception of "Demonic," each of Blomkamp's films is explicitly or implicitly about class. "District 9" is about alien visitors who are forced to live in a run-down shanty town outside of Johannesburg. "Elysium" features a posh space station where the wealthy live in comfort while the impoverished live on the overheated, overpopulated Earth below. "Chappie" is an Acab movie about a police robot coming to fight for the people and against its corporate creators.
"Gran Turismo," meanwhile, is about Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), an expert player of the titular racing video game, who is tapped by Nissan to become a race car driver for real.
- 8/26/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Chicago – “Gran Turismo” uses the life story of a gamer named Jann Mardenborough to get its message across … he was a college dropout in the UK who used the hours spent behind the steering wheel in his bedroom to become a real race car driver. While the racing scenes deliver the goods, this poorly conceived piece of product placement never gets its narrative out of first gear.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
It is a novel approach, but sometimes his story threatens to get drowned out by seemingly incessant plugs for the driver simulator videogame Gran Turismo and a certain Japanese auto company. The film starts with Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) as a marketing exec who comes up with the idea of using the Gt game as a way of appealing to the next generation of car buyers. So he recruits the top gamers in the world to attend an auto racing boot camp...
Rating: 1.5/5.0
It is a novel approach, but sometimes his story threatens to get drowned out by seemingly incessant plugs for the driver simulator videogame Gran Turismo and a certain Japanese auto company. The film starts with Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) as a marketing exec who comes up with the idea of using the Gt game as a way of appealing to the next generation of car buyers. So he recruits the top gamers in the world to attend an auto racing boot camp...
- 8/26/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Neill Blomkamp’s “Gran Turismo” movie from Sony Pictures packs all the adrenaline and all the emotions. Based on a true story, the film follows young Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) as he gets the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go from a video game racer to a real race car driver. It all started with Gran Turismo game creator Kazunori Yamauchi (Takehiro Hira) who got ahold of an automobile simulator and transformed it into a very real racing experience for gamers. Dreamer and Nissan marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) took the love for the game a step further by giving the best players a chance to go through a Gran Turismo academy to compete for the chance at racing on some of the professional courses featured in the game.
Enter David Harbour’s Jack Salter as Chief Engineer enlisted with determining whether the transition from a video game simulation to the real deal is even possible,...
Enter David Harbour’s Jack Salter as Chief Engineer enlisted with determining whether the transition from a video game simulation to the real deal is even possible,...
- 8/25/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
It’s off to the races for Sony’s video game adaptation “Gran Turismo,” which opens in theaters this weekend. The racing drama, starring Archie Madekwe, David Harbour and Orlando Bloom, made $1.4 million in Thursday previews at the box office.
The film is expected to open between $10 million and $12 million this weekend. It carries a $60 million budget, and on top of that, “Barbie” and “Blue Beetle” are hot on its heels, so there may not be a victory lap for “Gran Turismo.”
Based on the popular PlayStation racing video games of the same name, “Gran Turismo” is directed by Neill Blomkamp and based on the real life story of Jann Mardenborough, a young gamer turned professional race car driver. Mardenborough, played by Madekwe in the movie, was so good at the “Gran Turismo” racing simulation games that he took his skills to the actual race course and went pro. Harbour plays Jack Salter,...
The film is expected to open between $10 million and $12 million this weekend. It carries a $60 million budget, and on top of that, “Barbie” and “Blue Beetle” are hot on its heels, so there may not be a victory lap for “Gran Turismo.”
Based on the popular PlayStation racing video games of the same name, “Gran Turismo” is directed by Neill Blomkamp and based on the real life story of Jann Mardenborough, a young gamer turned professional race car driver. Mardenborough, played by Madekwe in the movie, was so good at the “Gran Turismo” racing simulation games that he took his skills to the actual race course and went pro. Harbour plays Jack Salter,...
- 8/25/2023
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
This article contains spoilers for "Gran Turismo."
Depending on where you live, the new racing movie titled "Gran Turismo: A True Story" in some territories is currently making its way to theaters and is, in fact, based on a true story. You know, just in case that subtitle didn't make it clear. Directed by genre-junkie Neill Blomkamp, the gamer-turned-racer movie (which was reviewed by yours truly here at /Film) takes a slightly more novel approach to breaking the so-called video game curse. By blending its ambitions as a video game adaptation and a sports drama/biopic, the film does its level best to do what protagonist Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) does and forge its own path altogether by pulling from very real-life events.
As incredible as the premise may seem -- involving car company Nissan teaming up with PlayStation to find the best players of the video game franchise "Gran Turismo,...
Depending on where you live, the new racing movie titled "Gran Turismo: A True Story" in some territories is currently making its way to theaters and is, in fact, based on a true story. You know, just in case that subtitle didn't make it clear. Directed by genre-junkie Neill Blomkamp, the gamer-turned-racer movie (which was reviewed by yours truly here at /Film) takes a slightly more novel approach to breaking the so-called video game curse. By blending its ambitions as a video game adaptation and a sports drama/biopic, the film does its level best to do what protagonist Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) does and forge its own path altogether by pulling from very real-life events.
As incredible as the premise may seem -- involving car company Nissan teaming up with PlayStation to find the best players of the video game franchise "Gran Turismo,...
- 8/25/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Hey, as the Summer movie season races (hint) to that Labor Day finish line (again), the studios aren’t quite done with toy-based stories. In that aspect, a new box office champ has been crowned with the “pink princess” zooming past those video game plumbing icons. Now, this new release leans into the latter’s territory as its roots are in the gaming world. Oh, and like the “under the radar” Tetris flick, it is actually based on a true story, This isn’t a twist on the old “Cold War Cloak and Daggar” thriller like that one or even an “origin story” of the game’s creation. Instead, this is closer to an old-fashioned, grit and glory, sports underdog fable, Yes sports, as we follow one determined young man whose dreams become reality when he enters the world of Gran Turismo.
I should clarify that the film does begin...
I should clarify that the film does begin...
- 8/25/2023
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This article contains spoilers for "Gran Turismo," particularly the ending (duh).
It's the quintessential rags-to-riches tale of the 21st Century. A group of highly-skilled gamers is plucked out of digital anonymity around the world, subjected to a grueling and intensive training academy, and then placed in enormously expensive and wildly dangerous racecars to compete against much older and more experienced pros. What could go wrong?
Director Neill Blomkamp's latest feature, "Gran Turismo" (which I reviewed for /Film here), tells the shockingly true story of how Nissan and PlayStation partnered up for one of the most unbelievable stunts in professional sports history. Centered on young gamer-turned-racer Jann Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe), the film takes him from his gaming computer in the suburbs of Cardiff to the fastest and most difficult racetracks across the entire globe ... all thanks to the efforts of Nissan marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), the brainchild behind the entire venture,...
It's the quintessential rags-to-riches tale of the 21st Century. A group of highly-skilled gamers is plucked out of digital anonymity around the world, subjected to a grueling and intensive training academy, and then placed in enormously expensive and wildly dangerous racecars to compete against much older and more experienced pros. What could go wrong?
Director Neill Blomkamp's latest feature, "Gran Turismo" (which I reviewed for /Film here), tells the shockingly true story of how Nissan and PlayStation partnered up for one of the most unbelievable stunts in professional sports history. Centered on young gamer-turned-racer Jann Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe), the film takes him from his gaming computer in the suburbs of Cardiff to the fastest and most difficult racetracks across the entire globe ... all thanks to the efforts of Nissan marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), the brainchild behind the entire venture,...
- 8/24/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Neill Blomkamp is back.
The director, best known for a trio of films that effortlessly blend startling futurism with barbed social commentary, has returned with “Gran Turismo,” his first studio film since 2015’s “Chappie” and his first movie since the pandemic-shot, micro-budgeted “Demonic” in 2021. And it marks a kinder, gentler Blomkamp. All of his filmmaking hallmarks are still there, from elaborately staged action sequences to relatable characters to the kind of camerawork that captures the immediacy of real life, but this time it’s in serve of an elegant – and, crucially, feel-good – sports movie.
Based on a true story about the PlayStation video game franchise, “Gran Turismo” follows Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a young, working-class Englishman who wins a “Gran Turismo” tournament that allows him to become a real-life racecar driver. That’s when he starts to bond with David Harbour’s Jack Salter, his flinty (but still caring) trainer.
The director, best known for a trio of films that effortlessly blend startling futurism with barbed social commentary, has returned with “Gran Turismo,” his first studio film since 2015’s “Chappie” and his first movie since the pandemic-shot, micro-budgeted “Demonic” in 2021. And it marks a kinder, gentler Blomkamp. All of his filmmaking hallmarks are still there, from elaborately staged action sequences to relatable characters to the kind of camerawork that captures the immediacy of real life, but this time it’s in serve of an elegant – and, crucially, feel-good – sports movie.
Based on a true story about the PlayStation video game franchise, “Gran Turismo” follows Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a young, working-class Englishman who wins a “Gran Turismo” tournament that allows him to become a real-life racecar driver. That’s when he starts to bond with David Harbour’s Jack Salter, his flinty (but still caring) trainer.
- 8/24/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story star David Harbour considers his new film to be a real-life The Last Starfighter.
In Nick Castle’s 1984 film that Steven Spielberg and Seth Rogen have both tried to remake, Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) is an aimless teenager who perfects an arcade game called Starfighter and ends up being recruited by the game’s alien inventor to help fight in an interstellar war. Well, Neil Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo tells the true story of how Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) mastered the Gran Turismo video game en route to being recruited by Nissan and becoming a professional racing driver.
Harbour’s character, Jack Salter, who’s a former driver turned mechanic, is the one tasked with actually turning Jann into a proper race car driver, and the role has shades of Robert Duvall in Days of Thunder (1990), John Candy in Cool Runnings (1993) and Emilio Estevez...
In Nick Castle’s 1984 film that Steven Spielberg and Seth Rogen have both tried to remake, Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) is an aimless teenager who perfects an arcade game called Starfighter and ends up being recruited by the game’s alien inventor to help fight in an interstellar war. Well, Neil Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo tells the true story of how Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) mastered the Gran Turismo video game en route to being recruited by Nissan and becoming a professional racing driver.
Harbour’s character, Jack Salter, who’s a former driver turned mechanic, is the one tasked with actually turning Jann into a proper race car driver, and the role has shades of Robert Duvall in Days of Thunder (1990), John Candy in Cool Runnings (1993) and Emilio Estevez...
- 8/23/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In 2009, Nissan teamed up with Sony for Gt Academy, a reality TV show that posited a real-life Last Starfighter scenario: that the Gran Turismo series is such a finely tuned racing simulator that players who mastered the games could be trained to harness their skills to become actual professional racers. To the credit of all involved, that theory turned out to be true.
The focus of Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo film is the true story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), the biracial son of a retired British footballer who goes on to be Gt Academy’s third and youngest winner. Jann’s journey into the professional racing world is marked by some very impressive, consistent highs and an extremely terrifying low, stemming from a major crash in 2015 that’s depicted in the film in pretty harrowing detail.
Despite being pretty cinematic on its own merits, this Gran Turismo still...
The focus of Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo film is the true story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), the biracial son of a retired British footballer who goes on to be Gt Academy’s third and youngest winner. Jann’s journey into the professional racing world is marked by some very impressive, consistent highs and an extremely terrifying low, stemming from a major crash in 2015 that’s depicted in the film in pretty harrowing detail.
Despite being pretty cinematic on its own merits, this Gran Turismo still...
- 8/22/2023
- by Justin Clark
- Slant Magazine
Gran Turismo, based on the PlayStation racing simulation games and directed by District 9 helmer Neill Blomkamp, is many things: a sports movie, an underdog story, a somewhat accurate biodrama. It is also a film about dads.
We’ve all seen it before, whether in October Sky or High School Musical: a plucky young man wants to follow his dreams while his father disapproves. In Gran Turismo, Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) wants to leverage his virtual driving skills into a professional racing career. His ex-footballer dad (Djimon Hounsou) thinks, perhaps quite rationally, this is insane. But when a novel training program called Gt Academy plucks Jann from his small Welsh hometown for the opportunity of a lifetime, our timid novice finds another father figure in the form of his prickly, reluctant mentor.
That is Jack Salter (David Harbour). The Nissan marketing exec who wants to turn gamers into racers––Danny Moore,...
We’ve all seen it before, whether in October Sky or High School Musical: a plucky young man wants to follow his dreams while his father disapproves. In Gran Turismo, Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) wants to leverage his virtual driving skills into a professional racing career. His ex-footballer dad (Djimon Hounsou) thinks, perhaps quite rationally, this is insane. But when a novel training program called Gt Academy plucks Jann from his small Welsh hometown for the opportunity of a lifetime, our timid novice finds another father figure in the form of his prickly, reluctant mentor.
That is Jack Salter (David Harbour). The Nissan marketing exec who wants to turn gamers into racers––Danny Moore,...
- 8/14/2023
- by Lena Wilson
- The Film Stage
Archie Madekwe in Gran TurismoImage: Sony
While it’s been ripe for mockery on Twitter—sorry, X—Gran Turismo does have a basis in reality. Indeed, Sony lucked out here, having an actual story to attach to a story-less IP, and an aspirational one at that. After all, what gamer...
While it’s been ripe for mockery on Twitter—sorry, X—Gran Turismo does have a basis in reality. Indeed, Sony lucked out here, having an actual story to attach to a story-less IP, and an aspirational one at that. After all, what gamer...
- 8/8/2023
- by Eric Francisco
- avclub.com
While writer-director Neill Blomkamp’s expertise with genre material — from his international breakthrough, sci-fi revelation District 9 (2009), to dystopian dramas Elysium (2013) and Chappie (2015) — makes him a good fit for an action-oriented sports biopic, it’s perhaps his background as a visual effects artist that proves his greatest asset in bringing Gran Turismo to the screen.
Marshaling a well-integrated combination of innovative digital camera techniques, compelling production design choices and an impressive visual style, Blomkamp’s visceral directing emphatically reinforces the film’s dynamic pacing.
Since it’s “based on a true story” (as the title insistently emphasizes), there’s limited potential for dramatic license with the available material. And while subject Jann Mardenborough has an inspiring backstory, the filmmakers don’t manage to wring much tension from a series of fairly predictable plot developments. But video game enthusiasts, including a sizable audience of Gran Turismo devotees and motorsports fans motivated...
Marshaling a well-integrated combination of innovative digital camera techniques, compelling production design choices and an impressive visual style, Blomkamp’s visceral directing emphatically reinforces the film’s dynamic pacing.
Since it’s “based on a true story” (as the title insistently emphasizes), there’s limited potential for dramatic license with the available material. And while subject Jann Mardenborough has an inspiring backstory, the filmmakers don’t manage to wring much tension from a series of fairly predictable plot developments. But video game enthusiasts, including a sizable audience of Gran Turismo devotees and motorsports fans motivated...
- 8/8/2023
- by Justin Lowe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rather than embrace the video-game that inspired it, the film is a simulation of cinema featuring a reliably underwhelming cameo from Geri Halliwell Horner
Product placement has rarely been as chronic or concussive as it is in Gran Turismo, inspired by the real-life experiences of British teenager Jann Mardenborough (played here by the sweetly gauche Archie Madekwe), whose PlayStation proficiency won him the chance to compete as a real-life racing driver in Gt Academy, a Nissan-sponsored promotion intended to get the public loving cars again. Before you can say “Ulez”, he is taking private jets and eating sushi (“This is amazing!”) while glamorous destinations flash by on screen: Tokyo! Dubai! Cardiff!
The contest is the brainchild of Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), who dreams of turning gamers into racers; Moore, though, comes on like a dullard Willy Wonka as he whittles down the candidates. Thank goodness for David Harbour as Jack Salter,...
Product placement has rarely been as chronic or concussive as it is in Gran Turismo, inspired by the real-life experiences of British teenager Jann Mardenborough (played here by the sweetly gauche Archie Madekwe), whose PlayStation proficiency won him the chance to compete as a real-life racing driver in Gt Academy, a Nissan-sponsored promotion intended to get the public loving cars again. Before you can say “Ulez”, he is taking private jets and eating sushi (“This is amazing!”) while glamorous destinations flash by on screen: Tokyo! Dubai! Cardiff!
The contest is the brainchild of Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom), who dreams of turning gamers into racers; Moore, though, comes on like a dullard Willy Wonka as he whittles down the candidates. Thank goodness for David Harbour as Jack Salter,...
- 8/8/2023
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being reviewed here wouldn't exist.
At this point, the "video game movie" classification feels just about as broad and changeable as that of a "superhero movie." Is there any point in lumping together movies like "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" or "Detective Pikachu" with "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" or "Uncharted"? (Does anyone even remember "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" or "Uncharted"?) By the same token, any lingering talk of an all-expansive "curse" associated with these adaptations increasingly comes across less like some inexplicable barrier that studios have (mostly) been unable to cross, and more to do with the idea that simply trying to translate a medium as idiosyncratic and immersive as video games into the wildly different language of film has always been self-defeating.
At this point, the "video game movie" classification feels just about as broad and changeable as that of a "superhero movie." Is there any point in lumping together movies like "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" or "Detective Pikachu" with "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" or "Uncharted"? (Does anyone even remember "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City" or "Uncharted"?) By the same token, any lingering talk of an all-expansive "curse" associated with these adaptations increasingly comes across less like some inexplicable barrier that studios have (mostly) been unable to cross, and more to do with the idea that simply trying to translate a medium as idiosyncratic and immersive as video games into the wildly different language of film has always been self-defeating.
- 8/8/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
“Gran Turismo” is a film of contradictions. On the one hand, it’s a video game movie while on the other it’s a true story about how a video game turned one of its players into a legitimate racecar driver. It’s a film aimed at fans of said video game, but not quite a feature built for the whole family. While it’s good in the moment, it’s doubtful you’ll must up much recognition of it within the next few months.
The film tells the story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a teenage boy trying to figure out his path in life. His father Steve (Djimon Hounsou), would love to see Jann go outside and experience life, but the young man would rather spend his day playing the racing game, Gran Turismo.
On the surface, Jann’s story has all the hallmarks of a typical formulaic family film.
The film tells the story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a teenage boy trying to figure out his path in life. His father Steve (Djimon Hounsou), would love to see Jann go outside and experience life, but the young man would rather spend his day playing the racing game, Gran Turismo.
On the surface, Jann’s story has all the hallmarks of a typical formulaic family film.
- 8/8/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
“Gran Turismo” is a race-car movie that gives the audience a contact high. That’s what you tend to want from an action drama about gleaming supercars zooming around labyrinthine tracks at 300 kilometers per hour. But there’s an innocence to this one, and a surprise authenticity. It’s like a “Fast and Furious” movie made without cynicism, and it gets to you.
The film is based on a true story, which it sticks impressively close to. The central character, Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), is a biracial kid from Cardiff who sits in his room playing Gran Turismo: a state-of-the-art training simulator that’s been marketed as a video game. At home, Jann can take any curve at maximum speed, passing competitors as if he were slicing through space. He’s a vicarious virtuoso. But he dreams of racing real cars, and one day, out of nowhere, the opportunity presents itself.
The film is based on a true story, which it sticks impressively close to. The central character, Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), is a biracial kid from Cardiff who sits in his room playing Gran Turismo: a state-of-the-art training simulator that’s been marketed as a video game. At home, Jann can take any curve at maximum speed, passing competitors as if he were slicing through space. He’s a vicarious virtuoso. But he dreams of racing real cars, and one day, out of nowhere, the opportunity presents itself.
- 8/8/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
After taking on apartheid and economic inequality with “District 9” and “Elysium,” Neill Blomkamp was finally prepared to make a film about the world’s most oppressed social class: gamers.
Rather than a straight adaptation of the video game that shares its name, “Gran Turismo” is a celebration of the people who play it. It’s a pious ode to Sony’s wondrous PlayStation system (anyone with even the slightest grievances with “Air” or “Blackberry” should steer clear of this one), and a grating middle finger to anyone who dares suggest that the answers to a gamer’s problems might lie outside the “Call of Duty” lobby.
It’s also a thrilling retelling of one of the craziest stories in recent sports history, shot with the level of skillful spectacle that the source material demands. Blomkamp might have directed the best 90-minute sports movie of the decade — it’s just...
Rather than a straight adaptation of the video game that shares its name, “Gran Turismo” is a celebration of the people who play it. It’s a pious ode to Sony’s wondrous PlayStation system (anyone with even the slightest grievances with “Air” or “Blackberry” should steer clear of this one), and a grating middle finger to anyone who dares suggest that the answers to a gamer’s problems might lie outside the “Call of Duty” lobby.
It’s also a thrilling retelling of one of the craziest stories in recent sports history, shot with the level of skillful spectacle that the source material demands. Blomkamp might have directed the best 90-minute sports movie of the decade — it’s just...
- 8/8/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Sony’s quest to turn its hit Playstation games into hit movies and TV shows will continue with “Gran Turismo,” the upcoming Columbia Pictures film from “District 9” director Neill Blomkamp that is based both on a true story and the best-selling racing video game series.
The film will tell the story of Jann Mardenborough (played by “Midsommar” star Archie Madekwe), a British teenager who in 2011 entered Gt Academy, an esports tournament created to find “Gran Turismo” players who were good enough at the game to be able to competitively drive real-life race cars. Mardenborough was victorious in the Gt Academy competition and became a race car driver for Nissan, competing in the Dubai 24 Hour endurance race.
In the trailer shown at CinemaCon, we see Jann arriving with other Gt Academy contestants and being put through the wringer by racing trainer Jack Salter (David Harbour) who puts them through a...
The film will tell the story of Jann Mardenborough (played by “Midsommar” star Archie Madekwe), a British teenager who in 2011 entered Gt Academy, an esports tournament created to find “Gran Turismo” players who were good enough at the game to be able to competitively drive real-life race cars. Mardenborough was victorious in the Gt Academy competition and became a race car driver for Nissan, competing in the Dubai 24 Hour endurance race.
In the trailer shown at CinemaCon, we see Jann arriving with other Gt Academy contestants and being put through the wringer by racing trainer Jack Salter (David Harbour) who puts them through a...
- 4/25/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Most movie promotional campaigns kick off with teasers or trailers. But when you're Sony, and you have Gran Turismo headed our way at speed – which is partially drawn from one of your biggest video game titles And you have the Consumer Electronics Show – you instead, apparently opt for a behind-the-scenes promo first. With some footage for good measure. Wipe your visor clean and take a look…
Instead of going the Need For Speed route and aiming to graft a story on to a game that doesn't really have one beyond "try not to crash," Gran Turismo instead has a script by American Sniper's Jason Hall and King Richard's Zach Baylin that is described as the ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race-car driver. It's based on a true story.
See's Archie Madekwe is...
Instead of going the Need For Speed route and aiming to graft a story on to a game that doesn't really have one beyond "try not to crash," Gran Turismo instead has a script by American Sniper's Jason Hall and King Richard's Zach Baylin that is described as the ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race-car driver. It's based on a true story.
See's Archie Madekwe is...
- 1/5/2023
- by James White
- Empire - Movies
The “Gran Turismo” movie filming is underway, and David Harbour is teasing what fans can expect in the upcoming flick, which is based on the popular PlayStation video game.
A synopsis for the movie reads, “The ultimate wish fulfilment tale of a teenage ‘Gran Turismo’ player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver. Based on a true story.”
While chatting to Et Canada, Harbour, who plays Jack Salter in the film, confirms he’s in Vienna filming right now.
The actor shares, “I can just tell you so far it’s been pretty awesome.”
Read More: David Harbour Shares New Photos Documenting His 75-Pound Weight-Loss Journey For ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4
He goes on, “It feels like a really special movie. I think video game movies in general have real problems with their construction because I feel like you want to...
A synopsis for the movie reads, “The ultimate wish fulfilment tale of a teenage ‘Gran Turismo’ player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver. Based on a true story.”
While chatting to Et Canada, Harbour, who plays Jack Salter in the film, confirms he’s in Vienna filming right now.
The actor shares, “I can just tell you so far it’s been pretty awesome.”
Read More: David Harbour Shares New Photos Documenting His 75-Pound Weight-Loss Journey For ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4
He goes on, “It feels like a really special movie. I think video game movies in general have real problems with their construction because I feel like you want to...
- 11/23/2022
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
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