Tron Legacy director in talks for Gran Turismo movie

By Rick Marshall March 3, 2015

Lexus LF-LC Vision Gran Turismo concept — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Filmmaker Joseph Kosinski may be turning his focus from sci-fi to the race track with reports that the Oblivion and Tron: Legacy director is in negotiations to take over Sony Pictures’ Gran Turismo movie, based on the hit PlayStation game franchise.

Kosinski will oversee a rewrite of the film’s script, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which could involve scrapping the previous draft that followed a video game player who becomes a professional racer. Nothing is official at this point, though, as Kosinski’s discussions with the studio are reportedly at a very early stage.

Launched back in 1997, the iconic Gran Turismo franchise features an ever-expanding list of officially licensed emulations of real-world cars. The series allows players to race against each other across dozens of tracks using vehicles that they can tune-up or otherwise modify to suit their driving style. Over the years, Gran Turismo has encompassed more than 20 primary and secondary titles, and has sold more than 70 million units since the first title debuted. It’s currently the best-selling franchise developed exclusively for Sony’s PlayStation consoles.

Kosinski previously flirted with directing a racing movie, but his attempts to develop a film based on author A. J. Baime’s novel Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans never panned out.

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