Most movie promotional campaigns kick off with teasers or trailers. But when you're Sony, and you have Gran Turismo headed our way at speed – which is partially drawn from one of your biggest video game titles AND you have the Consumer Electronics Show – you instead, apparently opt for a behind-the-scenes promo first. With some footage for good measure. Wipe your visor clean and take a look…
Instead of going the Need For Speed route and aiming to graft a story on to a game that doesn't really have one beyond "try not to crash," Gran Turismo instead has a script by American Sniper's Jason Hall and King Richard's Zach Baylin that is described as the ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race-car driver. It's based on a true story.
See's Archie Madekwe is playing the teen (named Jann Mardenborough), with David Harbour on as veteran, retired driver called Jack Salter, who teaches him how to be a wheelman. Orlando Bloom, meanwhile, is hungry marketing exec Danny Moore, who is selling the sport of motor racing… and just may believe in its art, too.
As director Neill Blomkamp drives this one through post-production, we're offered a look at some of the high speed action that the film is promising. And it looks… fun? Of course, we'll have to wait and see if it all works when the movie screeches on to screens on 11 August.
