Sony teases ‘Gran Turismo’ movie with nostalgic game-like trailer

For most boys (and girls) who grew up in the ‘90s, Gran Turismo was the racing simulator. And for us who spent countless hours honing our hand-to-eye coordination skills from the noob-friendly High-Speed Ring to the seizure-inducing Clubman Stage Route 5, Sony’s Gran Turismo movie teaser delivers a flood of eye-watering nostalgia.

The exclusive sneak peek — a one-minute video that can be watched here — starts with the iconic sound one hears at a standing start, the roaring race-tuned engine, and a driver tightly fitting a pair of race gloves. And if you’ve played the recent installment in the Gran Turismo series, you might find yourself wondering if you’re looking at an in-game footage or a movie trailer, because Gran Turismo games are known for their beautiful cinematic cutscenes and replays.

It then cuts to the cast, which includes movie protagonist Archie Madekwe (who looks a lot like Lance Stroll when wearing a helmet) portraying the role of Jann Mardenborough. For the uninitiated, Mardenborough is a professional British racing driver, who started racing behind the wheel of a sim rig.

Mardenborough was a participant in the GT Academy, a television program run by Nissan and Sony Interactive Entertainment. It provided aspiring race drivers an alternative route into real-life motorsport.

On that note, the movie will follow Mardenborough as he climbs up the ladder from being a Gran Turismo player to becoming a real-life race driver.

Also appearing in the trailer are Orlando Bloom and David Harbour.

Bloom, who was famous for playing Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchise, promises movie-goers “body-vibrating sound.” Likewise, Harbour, who was mostly remembered as Jim Hopper in The Stranger Things and as the Red Guardian (if you’re a Marvel fan), said the movie is a “badass race-car action” that will make the audiences feel like they’re in the middle of it.

Geri Halliwell-Horner, wife of Formula 1 Red Bull Oracle Racing Team Principal Christian Horner and former Spice Girls member, is also in the movie.

The said Gran Turismo movie teaser does raise the bar for video game movie adaptations since they don’t always stay true to the source material — have you seen Van Damme’s Street Fighter movie? Fans, like myself, are really digging the trailer’s overhead shots and cockpit point of view that mimic what one sees on the TV screen while playing the game.

Only available in theaters, Gran Turismo the movie will reportedly begin screening in August 2023.

Photos from Sony Pictures Entertainment

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