Sony has dropped a Gran Turismo movie teaser, giving us our first glance at the surprisingly star-studded video game adaptation.
When we first heard that Sony was making a movie about Gran Turismo, we were cautiously pessimistic about what that might look like. After all, when studios turn video games into movies, the results are rarely flattering. And, if you’re anything like us, Gran Turismo will have played a big role in your formative years – so you’d want them to do it justice, you know?
Anyway, if the first teaser trailer is anything to go by, perhaps we were too quick to judge. Columbia Pictures appears to have thrown a suitably Hollywood-sized budget at this project, resulting in not only an impressive cast, but also some rather promising-looking action sequences.
The Premise
The movie is set to depict the real-life story of Jann Mardenborough, a gamer who became a legitimately elite racing driver during the 2010s through Nissan’s Gran Turismo Academy project. From racing on his PS3 at home, Mardenborough went on to compete at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours, and pick up victories in the Japanese Super GT Championship.
Archie Medekwe is the man who’ll bring him to life on screen, alongside a surprisingly A-List cast including David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Djimon Hounsou, and Gerri Halliwell-Horner. However, to us, it’s the cars and the driving sequences which will define whether this film is a success or not.
The Action
You can come to your own conclusions by watching the Gran Turismo movie teaser above, but on first impressions, we have to admit – we’re pleasantly surprised.
In the glimpses that Sony has provided, the cinematography not only looks atmospheric, but believable too. And frankly, it should. The filming crew enlisted the talents of highly regarded stunt drivers such as Mauro Calo in order to make the racing sequences look and feel as authentic as possible.
Through his Twitter account, Calo spoke about working on the film, describing it as “the fastest film ever made”. He goes on to say, “We broke new ground on how to film race cars actually racing. Incredible journey.”
Well, sounds good to us, Mauro…
The movie, simply titled Gran Turismo, comes out on August 11 2023, but we’ll keep you up to date on any more news that comes out between now and then!
