Gran Turismo movie directed by Neill Blomkamp lands a 2023 release date

It was just last month when it was reported that Neill Blomkamp was being eyed to direct the Gran Turismo movie, and Sony Pictures has now announced the release date. Get ready to start your engines when the Gran Turismo movie hits theaters on August 11, 2023. Just a little over a year away.

In addition to revealing the release date for the Gran Turismo movie, the studio also provided an updated logline which gives us a clue of what to expect. “Based on a true story, the film is the ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver.” Neill Blomkamp will direct Gran Turismo from a screenplay by Jason Hall, with PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan serving as producers with Doug Belgrad and Dana Brunetti.

Since debuting on the first PlayStation back in 1997, the Gran Turismo franchise has developed a reputation as the most authentic driving simulator of its kind. The series has sold over 85 million copies, making it the highest-selling video game franchise exclusive to PlayStation. In March, the most recent installment, Gran Turismo 7, was released on PS4 and PS5. Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski was once in talks to direct an adaptation of the videogame franchise, but the project later fell apart.

Neil Blomkamp is best known for directing District 9, Elysium, and Chappie, as well as a series of short films for his own Oats Studios. He most recently helmed Demonic, a low-budget horror film shot during the pandemic that followed a young woman exposed to terrifying demons at the root of a decades-old rift between mother and daughter. Blomkamp has been attached to several significant projects over the years, including a Halo movie, an Alien sequel starring Sigourney Weaver, and a direct sequel to Robocop. He’s also working on a screenplay for District 10, the long-belated sequel to District 9.