MOVIE NEWS – Sony’s Gran Turismo is about a video game addict who becomes a real-life car racer. It was recently announced that one of the characters of Stranger Things, David Harbour, will also be the main character of Gran Turismo, and a star of another big franchise, Lord of the Rings, has joined the cast.

We didn’t think Sony would even want to make a movie of its racing simulator, the PlayStation-exclusive Gran Turismo, but they will. True, it’s an unusual piece of work, because it takes a different approach to the base game than the other adaptations. This week it was revealed that David Harbour will play the protagonist’s mentor, and it was recently revealed who will play the young protagonist, Archie Madekwe, star of the Jason Momoa dystopia See. He is joined by Orlando Bloom, who probably needs no introduction to fans of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Pirates of the Caribbean.

This will be Madekwe’s first starring role in such a prestige movie, so Gran Turismo could be a stepping stone for him. The film is not a story about the game series, as there are not many, but a related story that actually happened: GT pro Jann Mardenborough won a competition linked to the game and then proved his talent in real-life racing. That success will be the story of Gran Turismo, directed by Neill Blomkamp, and Madekwe will be behind the wheel of the film, coached by retired driver David Harbour. Orlando Bloom will play a marketing executive, although it is not yet clear whether his character will be positive or negative.

Gran Turismo 2023 is scheduled to hit cinemas on 11 August 2023, with filming starting in Europe next week. Blomkamp is directing, while Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) are writing the script, with Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi overseeing the project as executive producer.

Read about other upcoming or announced game adaptations here.