The Gran Turismo series is a long-running one, exclusive to PlayStation platforms. It’s a series focused on cars, racing and customization. All things that might not appear to translate well into a feature film. Yet, there is a Gran Turismo feature film that is based on the series, directed by Neill Blomkamp, a director best known for District 9 and Elysium.
While the feature film is taking its name and inspiration from the video games its based upon, it’s not entirely based on any of the games. The film does not take any story or character moments from the games. Primarily because there’s not much of a story, and there aren’t any notable characters to pull from the games.
Instead, the Gran Turismo movie is based on a true story that is connected to the video game series. It’s less of a movie about the game, and more of a biopic about people who played the game, a very different approach to adapting video games into movies than previously seen.
Who Is Jann Mardenborough?
The movie focuses on Jann Mardenborough (portrayed by Archie Madekwe), a Gran Turismo player whose skills in the game won him the opportunity to drive and race in real life. He went on to win several awards and competitions, and eventually became a real racing driver.
Jann was so good at playing GT5 on the PlayStation 3 that he won a place at Nissan’s PlayStation GT Academy. GT Academy was funded by Nissan and Sony Interactive Entertainment, focused on getting the very best players of the game onto real-world tracks. After a series of gaming competitions, the best players were admitted into the Academy and given the opportunity to drive real cars and earn a spot on Nissan’s team. Jann scored well at the Academy and went on to join the team.
In an interview with The Guardian, Jann stated ‘I’ve always had a passion for Gran Turismo and to drive cars I’d probably never, ever get to drive… In a way, I’m sort of living out my childhood dream, so it’s very fulfilling that gaming is what has allowed me to do that.’
He became so enamored with the sport that he made it his profession, primarily in Formula racing. At just 21 years of age, he placed 10th in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand. He then placed third in that year’s 24 Hours at Le Mans, and he continued to place well in subsequent races and series. He was good at what he did, whether it was behind the wheel or on a controller.
In 2015, Jann’s career had an unfortunate moment when his vehicle careened off track, killing a spectator, and injuring many more. Jann himself was not seriously injured.
How Accurate Is The Gran Turismo Movie?
Another notable figure in the real story is that of Darren Cox, portrayed by Orlando Bloom, albeit with a fictionalized name in the movie due to the dramatic interpretation of the character veering so much from reality. Darren was the man who conceived of GT Academy. He was a businessman, as well as a motorsport marketing executive, having worked with Renault and eventually going to Nissan.
The cast is fleshed out by a slew of famous names and faces including Stranger Things' David Harbour. Outside of Jann and Darren though, many of the characters are fictionalised, with original names, backgrounds and personalities, although some of them may be inspired by real-life individuals.
While the Gran Turismo movie takes the name of the video game series, its story and characters are based on real events and people. Players of the games will be pleased to know that the cars, the visuals, the stunts and races replicate the high octane video games and real-world races they’re based upon with an adherence to practical stunts and filmmaking over CGI too.