UPDATE
Are you going to see Gran Turismo when it releases? What do you think the potential for this kind of movie is? Let us know below!
ORIGINAL STORY
Video game adaptations are becoming more popular due to incredible takes on the properties and faithful recreations. One such recreation was nominated 24 times by the Emmys and will likely win some of those rewards. As such, there’s pressure on future and upcoming adaptations to strive to be just as great, fun, and rewarding to watch. The next video game adaptation is less than a month away, and it blurs the line between video game movies and sports films because it’s a mix of both in the most literal way possible. This is the Gran Turismo movie.
If you haven’t heard, it’s not simply a racing movie based on the beloved gaming series, but rather, an adaptation of a true story of a young video gamer who got the opportunity to race in the “big leagues” in the real world based solely on his gaming skills.
This is the tale of Jann Mardenborough, a real-life race car driver who was accepted into the GT Academy and proved to the world that he could race for real. But as the newest movie trailer highlights, the journey to do that isn’t easy.
First, he had to prove that his video game skills could translate to the real world, something that many people have debated over the years. Second, he had to win the approval of the people near him. As his “coach” states, no one will believe in him and will downright hate him because they feel he’s taking the place of a true racer. Third, he has to prove to his family that his dreams can come true, even though they’ve lost faith in what it means to dream. Finally, he has to prove to himself that he can do it even when things don’t go his way.
Like many great sports moments, this is a true underdog story, and it’s one that will be recreated with real race cars and tracks to highlight how this underdog story went from “fairy tale” to the winner’s circle:
Helping the case for Gran Turismo to do well is that it’s headed up by famed director Neill Blomkamp, who put a lot into this movie so that it would stand out as more than just a “video game film.”
Another cool element to the film is that Jann Mardenborough himself is in the film and is one of the stunt drivers!
We’ll find out on August 11th how well fans and critics enjoy the film.