Because everyone has been wondering, Nikki Finke explains why Hollywood probably won’t make Grand Theft Auto: The Movie. In its first week, Grand Theft Auto IV sold approximately 6 million copies worldwide and grossed over $500 million, more than most movies make theatrically. So it seems only logical that Hollywood would be interested in bringing the the controversial video game series to the mainstream. As it turns out, Fox Atomic actually owns the rights to “Grand Theft Auto”, but not a film based on the game. Atomic is developing a remake of the Ron Howard directed / Roger Corman produced film with the same name from 1977. And by “developing”, we mean that it is one of hundreds of projects that Fox Atomic has sitting around waiting for a screenwriter.
And I’ve never heard this before, but Finke claims that a legal settlement dictates that Fox can’t make a video game out of the Ron Howard film, and more importantly, Rockstar isn’t allowed to make a feature film based on their video game series. And as much as fans of the game would love to see a big screen movie, I’m not sure that it could capture the free-roaming magic of the game. Besides, many aspects of the game series are closely inspired by the classic mob films. I even remember reading interviews with Rockstar where they admit this obvious fact. What’s to stop a big screen adaptation of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City or Grand Theft Auto 4 from feeling like a Scarface rip-off?
June 19th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Geez, can’t you just take pretty much any gang-banger movie and call THAT “Grand Theft Auto?”
Vic
June 19th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Are there really fans of the game clamoring for a movie of GTA?
The games themselves are cinematic enough. Plus, like Screen Rant said above, any movie involving crime and drugs and sexy and violence is basically already a GTA movie.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
You want a GTA movie? Go watch the Black Donnellys. The atmosphere, the rise to fame storyline, its practically GTA family edition. Everything they do is Mission-esque and made in a way that feels much like the climbing-the-ladder gameplay from GTA.
Seriously, I would love a GTA movie if it was done by the guys that did the black donnellys.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Vice City=Scarface
San Andreas=To Live And Die in LA
That’s two GTA movies already.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
given the returns, any producer would be far better off sinking their cash into another GTA game. Pretty simple economics where GTA is concerned.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Wow. I’d heard about Ron Howard’s GTA film, but I didn’t know that Roger Corman produced it. That’s awesome.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
lol, Vice City like Scarface? No, Vice City WAS Scarface.
XD
June 19th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
While I don’t think a Grand Theft Auto movie from Rockstar will ever happen, I do think it’s surprising that we don’t give them the benefit of the doubt that a GTA would be balls-out fantastic. They are highly protective of the property for a reason, and I highly doubt that a film version would follow a story-line from any game, especially Vice City.
If one remembers the care Rockstar put into crafting The Warriors game, and how much detail, money and research was exerted to bring that movie into the modern age (ultimately, at a financial loss but creatively it was amazing), it’s unfair to think these guys would deliver a rehashed action/mob movie imo. They are perfectionists of the highest order, and I’d bet it all that the director of a GTA movie would be of the highest caliber, the movie something unforeseen and as impressive as their games.
This is an argument that I compare to people who say that Tarantino could never direct a romantic comedy or a horror movie. The guy can direct whatever because he’s a great director. Rockstar’s staff is smart enough and well-connected enough outside of their industry to see that a really good film is made. A GTA movie would not be lifted verbatim from the games, I assure you. I would love to see it happen, but Rockstar’s M.O. competes directly with Hollywood’s. The only incentive to do it would be to beat Hollywood at its own game. Remaking Heat or Scarface is below them.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Scarface, calitos way, dirty harry, godfather, boyz ih the hood, heat.
Shall I go on? GTA movie is a dumbass idea. About 4 of them come out every year, all you have do to is slap a title on it
June 19th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
GTA, Insults me as a gamer. Its the one game that critics use to label all gamers as pychos and scumbags.
Like Vic said, take your pick of Snoop dog B-movies and push play. And he’s got like 5 of them there all crap just like his brain.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
The reason it wouldn’t really work is that that the earlier GTA games were fairly obviously just a series of pop-culture references. Even the characters were parodies of characters from films. (eg, Sean Penn’s character in Carlito’s Way = Ken Rosenberg in Vice City)
The latest one has more original content, but even then, like people have already said - the strength of the game is something that really only works in the medium of a video game.
I’m a huge fan of the games - but even if it was a Scorsese film I’d still groan. It’s not the right kind of material to adapt.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Dudes’re talking like there’s a divine *need* for a GTA movie.
There really, really isn’t.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:39 am
GTA only works because it has this unique freedom to play. A movie is completely different, there’s one storyline and that’s it. While it’s really funny in a game to start an amok it doesn’t make sense in a movie.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:11 am
790,
You can’t be serious? You sound like those moronic politicians who say they hear “messages” in songs telling them to take out the trash for Satan.
From the many posts here, especially Peter’s comments. None of you seem to have played the latest version, VC and SA actually had great stories. Moreso SA compared to VC. But GTAIV has the most involved storyline out of the franchise. And it would make for a good film if they persued it.
Niko Bellic is a great character and the story revolving around him (which is nothing like Scarface) in the new GTA would be great. If they can capture him on film and surround him with the same backstory and characters found in the games world. Then it would work well.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:48 am
I noticed no mentioned to simply call the movie G.T.A and not Grand Theft Auto….a lot less to worry about.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:28 am
@ Azure Trayl
Peter and I actually discussed this after the post. Finke reports that Rockstar Games cannot make a GTA movie ever, point blank, but my understanding is that they simply can’t use the title. I think the acronym would be fine, and Rockstar is large enough to power force this movie into reality if they wanted. We’ll update it if Rockstar releases another statement, like they did with the Eminem/GTA movie rumor.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Bah. I belong to a small group of gamers who believes that the GTA franchise is overrated. I have never met a single person who actually plays the game the whole way through for the ’story’. They just unlock everything and then run around shooting people and jumping off of stuff. *shruggs*
But we’re not talking about the game, we’re talking about the potential for a movie. I defiantly think they could make mad cash off of a GTA movie by the name recognition alone. I however do NOT believe they should make it. EVER. My thoughts on the franchise aside, there’s no reason for it. The way the games are designed is to make you feel like you are part of a movie, playing the main character in his journey to the top. By making a actual movie it would make the game redundant. You can already have a cinematic GTA experience by plugging in your XBox so why is a movie required?
June 20th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Everyone’s says Scarface and mob movies, but they’re wrong. Crank was a GTA movie.
June 20th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Well Gran d Theft Auto: Vice City =Scarface Carlito’s Way and Goodfellas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas =Carlito’s Way and others.
Grand Theft Auto IV =Rockstar Games