PlayStation Productions Leans Into a Creative Curve With Gran Turismo Biopic

PlayStation fans have had many opportunities to see their favorite franchises on big and small screens these past few months, and not because PS4 Spider-Man showed up in Across the Spider-Verse. Although Nintendo has brought Mario back to theaters as a billion-dollar success, Sony has actually done what other brands and studios have only promised: Deliver a full slate of projects under a unified PlayStation Productions banner, including The Last of Us and Twisted Metal. There’s even a brand-specific title sequence not unlike what you see before an MCU movie. 

However, what’s most fascinating about these releases isn’t the number of live-action movies and shows PlayStation has put out in such a short time; it’s the wildly different interpretations of what makes a PlayStation video game adaptation. The new Gran Turismo movie (out August 25) is the latest project to demonstrate how Sony is throwing so much stuff up against the wall—and most of it sticks! 

Our Favorite PlayStation Games Given the Live-Action Treatment

From Gamer to Racer

As highly realistic racing simulators, Polyphony Digital’s acclaimed and immensely popular Gran Turismo games don’t have a plot. Instead, the Gran Turismo movie’s story is based on the real-life story of Jann Mardenborough, a professional race car driver first discovered through a contest that transformed skilled Gran Turismo players into actual autosports athletes. 

How’s the movie itself? It’s no Speed Racer, but it’s fine. Gran Turismo is a perfectly serviceable sports drama full of tragedy, triumph, and thrilling races. Neill Blomkamp is clearly never directing another movie as good as District 9 ever again, but I have to imagine the director who spent years trying to make live-action Halo happen is responsible for the movie’s funny “Gamers, rise up!” anti-oppression energy. Besides, if we want to get reductive, an inoffensive example of a stock movie formula with some added gamer flattery is the perfect modern AAA PlayStation game adaptation anyway. And David Harbour’s surly coach is legitimately great!

But the truly savvy choice with this Gran Turismo adaptation was recognizing that Mardenborough’s life should form the film’s premise (even if the narrative plays around with the actual facts and timeline). It’s a movie about a game, and its inspirational impact on actual people, not a movie based on a game. Sure, the movie itself is essentially PlayStation marketing. Humble, PS-branded cars outrace their gaudy, solid-gold rivals. But in a nice, meta touch, Orlando Bloom plays a marketer who learns there are more important things than selling products. Gran Turismo is a real movie, which is still the bar that video game adaptations must clear.

Cars, Clowns, and Climbing

Gran Turismo is a cool example of a PlayStation Productions project, but what’s even cooler is that these projects can be so many other things, too. If you want more car combat, check out Twisted Metal on Peacock—Anthony Mackie is very much not Captain America while Will Arnett and Samoa Joe team up to breathe fiery life into the evil clown Sweet Tooth. If you want a more somber Sony post-apocalypse, The Last of Us TV show on HBO garnered nearly as much prestige as the games, racking up multiple Emmy award nominations. And if you enjoy more lighthearted Naughty Dog franchises, we got a full-blown Uncharted movie last year, with more entries potentially on the way. 

Of course, the quality varies. Twisted Metal has that streaming show problem where the whole season feels like a long lead up to the premise (the “Surf Dracula” problem). And as much as people love The Last of Us and Uncharted, removing their gameplay exposes how ultimately derivative the narratives are in those titles. Still, just like Gran Turismo (or that Ratchet and Clank cartoon from a few years ago), these PlayStation adaptations impress by making the right decisions for making these franchises shine in a new medium.

Games Become Video

More PlayStation Productions movies and shows are on the way. God of War is coming to Amazon, while a Horizon show is slated for Netflix. Unlike Marvel Studios, there’s little chance that PlayStation Production will pull off a grand, cinematic crossover event. We’ll just have to settle for firing up PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Still, just as bringing PS4 and PS5 games to the PC is exposing them to untapped audiences, these adaptations find inventive ways to showcase PlayStation’s core appeal in fresh new forms.   

For more, check out which games we think HBO should adapt next, and why Netflix has such a stellar video game show lineup.