You might think racing-sim series Gran Turismo lacks the narrative substance for a movie version, but director Neill Blomkamp’s taking a slightly different approach. Rather than a straightforward adaptation of the game, the film tells the real-life story of Jann Mardenborough, a gamer who tests his skills on a real track, via the GT Academy competition.
If that sounds like it’s outside of Blomkamp’s wheelhouse, the District 9 and Chappie director agrees. ‘I am sort of obsessed with mechanics and robots and stuff,’ he tells Teasers. ‘But something weird happened with the script with me…’ Having previously grappled with darker material, the idea of doing something uplifting and aspirational was the draw, something that reminded him of how he felt leaving the cinema after films like The Karate Kid.