Gran Turismo Aimed To Borrow The Best Parts Of Top Gun
Video games are the new superheroes, in that every Hollywood studio seems to want their own film adaptation to cash in on the success and the acclaim of movies like "Sonic the Hedgehog" and shows like "Arcane" or "The Last of Us." Sure, while the so-called "video game curse" has finally been disproven, we still get huge flops like "Monster Hunter." Still, just like the colossal failure of "The Flash" is not deterring DC Studios from going full-steam ahead with adding even more millions to the budget of "Aquaman 2," the failure of some projects is not stopping Hollywood from catering to the biggest entertainment industry — gamers.
The latest video game movie is not a conventional one. "Gran Turismo" is not really adapting any lore from the games or even telling the meta story of how the rights were secured, à la "Tetris," but instead, it's a movie based on a true story, that of Jann Mardenborough, a British gamer-turned-professional racing driver with a not too shabby record.
Speaking to Empire, co-writer Zach Baylin talked about being inspired by modern classic movies about outsiders in strict environments. "We [spoke] a lot about the original 'Top Gun' and that idea of a character surrounded by the best of the best, coming in to learn what it means to sit in these extremely fast vehicles," Baylin said. "What it means to have to be part of a team. What it means to have to overcome your own insecurities and ego in order to pilot something that can kill you and kill other people."
Highway to the danger zone
David Harbour, who plays Jann's trainer in the film, agrees with the comparison to the "Top Gun" franchise, telling GamesRadar that "there's somewhat of a throwback quality to ["Top Gun: Maverick"]'s pace, and to what that film is doing, and there is to us as well. I feel like we are very related to that, and are in the same family as them."
If nothing else, both movies have a history of trying to be as practical as possible. Archie Madekwe, who plays Mardenborough, told Empire that he'd have to "just throw up everywhere" in between takes. This is not unlike the price the cast of "Top Gun: Maverick" had to pay to be in the film, with Glen Powell saying that "there was a lot of puke during filming."
Of course, it paid off. Not only did "Top Gun: Maverick" look fantastic and made you believe it was shot practically, but it made a ridiculous amount of money at the box office. Maybe it will work for "Gran Turismo," too?
We'll find out when "Gran Turismo" races into theaters August 11, 2023.