Producers in Hollywood are less about the genre and more about the backroom processes: Basically, they’re the guys who get the money and figure out how it’s best spent. Still, the fact that Sony’s beloved racing franchise Gran Turismo is being handed to the guys turning Twilight fanfic Fifty Shades of Grey into a movie probably is not inspiring confidence.
To be fair, Dana Brunetti and Mike De Luca are actually highly experienced producers: De Luca, for example, ran New Line Cinema for a while. Then again, De Luca also produced Drive Angry, so we’re not sure how to feel about this.
As for why, precisely, a driving game with absolutely no semblance of plot whatsoever is becoming a movie, the short answer is “$712 million”. That’s what Fast and Furious 6 made, so Hollywood really wants car movies now:
With “The Fast and the Furious” becoming Universal’s biggest franchise, other studios are waving the green flag. DreamWorks’ “Need for Speed” stars Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad” fame, while Legendary is eyeing Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Simon Crane to direct “Hot Wheels.”
Like those movies, “Gran Turismo” also has name-brand recognition and will seek to distinguish itself from competitors in the marketplace. The newest game in the series, “Gran Turismo 6,” is expected to be available for the PlayStation 3 later this year.
Yes, you did read that correctly. There are also going to be Hot Wheels and Need for Speed movies that will be hitting theaters. Hollywood expects you to pay money to see a movie vaguely based on toy cars.
As for the plot, no word yet, but we’re assuming it will be about driving cars very, very fast. Is it sad that we’re far more excited to see a movie about a CGI gorilla playing baseball than we are to see this?