‘Gran Turismo’ Trailer: Racing Video Game Heads to the Big Screen With David Harbour, Orlando Bloom

EJ Panaligan

The first trailer for director Neil Blomkamp’s “Gran Turismo,” adapted from the popular PlayStation video game racing franchise, has been released.

Blomkamp, whose notable directing credits include “District 9” and “Elysium,” departs from his typical science fiction subject matter to take on the sports racing film. Based on a true story, “Gran Turismo” follows a young teenager who’s obsessed with playing the racing video game and gradually takes his controller skills onto a real racetrack with hopes to become a professional race car driver. Archie Madekwe plays the film’s main character, with David Harbour as his racing trainer, Djimon Hounsou as the teenager’s father and Orlando Bloom as a motorsport marketing executive. Darren Barnet plays a respected GT Academy driver who feels threatened by the teenager’s fast-growing success.

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The racing simulation video game franchise began in 1997 with a self-titled entry from developer Polyphony Digital, spearheaded by Kazunori Yamauchi. The games put an emphasis on realism, with simulations mirroring real-life appearances and performances of licensed vehicles. The franchise has accumulated 14 entries since its 1997 debut, and its sales of more than 80 million units has made it the highest-selling video game franchise for Sony and the PlayStation brand.

The screenplay is written by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Doug Belgrad and Dana Brunetti produced the film with Columbia Pictures, PlayStation Productions, Trigger Street Productions and 2.0 Entertainment attached.

The film is set to be released Aug. 11 through Sony Pictures. Check out the trailer below.

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