Speaking with Empire, Gran Turismo star Archie Madekwe has opened up about the upcoming Sony Pictures adaptation of the popular racing video game, which served as his first leading project since appearing in Apple TV+’s See series. Madekwe revealed how preparing for his role in the coming-of-age drama, which he described as a “story of a real-world superhero,” changed his life.
“Two years ago, this was not me. Racing was not my world. I didn’t care about cars,” Madekwe said. “But that’s the thing about Jann [Mardenborough] – you don’t have to be a petrolhead to be inspired about what he achieved.”
Gran Turismo is slated to arrive in theaters on August 11, which will see the film go up against Universal Pictures’ The Last Voyage of the Demeter. It will also debut in the same month as other high-profile movies including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Meg 2: The Trench, and Blue Beetle.
Who’s Involved in the Gran Turismo Movie?
Gran Turismo is directed by Neill Blomkamp from a screenplay written by co-executive producer Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. It stars David Harbour, Archie Madekwe, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Djimon Hounsou, Geri Halliwell-Horner, Daniel Puig, Josha Stradowski, and German actor Thomas Kretschmann.
“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,” reads the synopsis.
The film is produced by Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Doug Belgrad, and Dana Brunetti, with game creator Kazunori Yamauchi executive producing. Originally released in 1997, the Gran Turismo franchise has gone on to become one of the most popular racing video game properties ever, known for its meticulous level of detail and realism.
