Gran Turismo Film Coming in 2023 is Based on a True Story

Gran Turismo Film Coming in 2023 is Based on a True Story

Sony Picture is continuing to move forward with its film adaptation of Gran Turismo. The film is coming from District 9 and Demonic director Neill Blomkamp. Sony has dated the film for August 11, 2023.

I previously wondered how Sony Pictures was going to adapt Gran Turismo. We finally have an idea, thanks to the logline in the press release. The film will apparently be based on a true story, following the journey of a young man who goes from playing Gran Turismo to becoming a professional race car driver.

If that sounds familiar, that’s because it is. No name was given in Sony’s announcement, but that’s likely the story of Jann Mardenborough. He was a player of Gran Turismo and competed in the third GT Academy competition. GT Academy was a reality show where Gran Turismo 6 players would compete in the game, before moving on to real race car driving. Mardenborough was the winner of that competition, becoming the youngest winner in the series’ short history. He’s also the show’s most successful contestant.

Jann Mardenborough

Mardenborough has since seen some success in professional racing. He’s competed in the Japanese Super GT series, F3 European Championship, the GP3 Series, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Mardenborough had no racing experience prior to 2011, when he was a contestant in GT Academy.

Gran Turismo is based on a script by Jason Hall, who wrote American Sniper. That film was also a dramatic adaptation of a true story, based on the autobiography of the same name. Hall is previously working on writing and directing The Virginian, a biopic based on the life of George Washington.

This is not the only PlayStation-related project Sony Pictures has in the works. The Uncharted film came out earlier this year and it looks to be successful enough at the box office to ensure a sequel. The Last of Us, coming to HBO, is finishing shooting and Twisted Metal for NBC’s Peacock streaming service is currently casting. That leaves God of War for Amazon, Horizon for Netflix, and a Ghost of Tsushima film. Sony has said that it has ten PlayStation projects for film and television coming, so that leaves three unannounced projects.

Author: Deann Hawkins