Sony’s push into the movies and TV industry with their PlayStation IPs has taken shape in the form of the upcoming Last of Us live-action series on HBO, among other pursuits. Today, though, we'll focus on the Gran Turismo series, which will getting its own feature film. Sony Pictures recently announced that filming for the project has already begun.
Initially, you’d think: “what would be the premise of such a film?” Jann Mardenborough’s history with the series will serve as the basis for the plot of this film. Sony Pictures revealed that filming for the project is now underway, and you can view that tweet below.
Filming is now underway on #GranTurismoMovie - based on the inspiring true story of a Gran Turismo player, Jann Mardenborough, who won a series of gaming competitions leading him to become an actual professional racecar driver. 🎬🏎 pic.twitter.com/gV13gEg2G5
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) November 12, 2022
Mardenborough’s story follows his journey through the UK-based TV show GT Academy, where he graduated from the program back in 2011. GT Academy, run by Nissan and Sony, was an alternative pathway to real-life racing, starting on Gran Turismo 6 on PS3 and leading to actual driving drills later in the process.
Jann would be the third graduate of the program, and following that performance in 2011, he began competing in various racing series throughout Europe. These include the F3 European Championship, British GP Championship, and 24 Hours of Le Mans, just to name a few. Jann’s accolades include a podium finish in the 2013 LMP2 variant of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Anyways, back to the movie project. Filming only began today, and from that point, no clear point at when filming will conclude, especially given that the movie is slated for an August 2023 release. That doesn’t exactly seem like a lot of time, given that the Gran Turismo movie’s filming, editing, promotional material, and first screenings still have to happen in nine months.
Either way, the Neill Blomkamp-directed project has no further updates, but we’ll continue to update as more information is released. The Gran Turismo movie is scheduled to hit theaters in August 2023.
