A trailer has been released for Gran Turismo starring David Harbour and Orlando Bloom – check it out above.
Based on the PlayStation racing game franchise, the sports film is inspired by the real-life story of Jann Mardenborough (played by Archie Madekwe), who transferred into becoming a professional racing driver from playing Gran Turismo at a competitive level.
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As seen in the trailer, the aspiring teenage driver is mentored by Jack Salter (Harbour) and motorsport marketing executive Danny Moore (Bloom). Other cast members include Darren Barnet, Djimon Hounsou, Geri Horner and Thomas Kretschmann.
Gran Turismo is directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium), from a screenplay written by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin.
This is not a game. 🏎️ @GranTurismo is exclusively in theaters August. pic.twitter.com/2GFFjJlXVi
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) May 2, 2023
A synopsis reads: “Based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, the film is the ultimate wish fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver.”
Gran Turismo is a series of racing simulation games created by Kazunori Yamauchi and developed by Polyphony Digital. The first game debuted in 1997 on the original PlayStation, with the latest installment, Gran Turismo 7, released last year on PlayStation 5.
Back in 2021, Blomkamp said a sequel to District 9 was “far into the writing stage” during an interview with NME. “It’s going pretty well, but I’m just super creatively into what we’ve come up with and I just want to throw everything into it,” Blomkamp said.
Since his acclaimed debut, the director has helmed various sci-fi and horror films to mixed success, including Elysium, Chappie and 2021’s Demonic.
Gran Turismo is released in cinemas on August 11, 2023.