Gran Turismo star David Harbour compares the movie to Top Gun: Maverick
EXCLUSIVE: David Harbour and director Neill Blomkamp talk making Gran Turismo "feel real"
Gran Turismo, based on the PlayStation game of the same name, follows the true story of Jann Mardenborough, played by Archie Madekwe, a teenage player of the game who ended up as a professional race car driver. You can see an exclusive look at the movie above, featuring David Harbour as Jann's trainer.
When it comes to the reality and immersion of the high-speed scenes – the real vehicles, the cast being put through the wringer, the commitment to high-tech filming methods – it’s hard to not think of Top Gun: Maverick.
Total Film puts the comparison to director Neill Blomkamp in the new issue of the magazine, which is out on newsstands on Thursday, July 20, and he says that a VFX-heavy approach just wouldn’t have been right for this film. "What’s right is Archie in the [car], super-uncomfortable, with high Gs, nausea, at 200km an hour… So it’s a fair comparison. I don’t know what [Maverick director] Joseph Kosinski’s like, but I’m sure he wanted the same thing. We just need to make it feel real."
Harbour also enthuses at the mention of Maverick. "I certainly hope we do as well as Top Gun: Maverick," he laughs. "But I made that comparison myself. I think there’s somewhat of a throwback quality to that film’s pace, and to what that film is doing, and there is to us as well. I feel like we are very related to that, and are in the same family as them."
Gran Turismo releases on August 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the year's most highly anticipated movie release dates.
This is just a snippet of our interview in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which features Gareth Edwards' new movie The Creator on the cover. The magazine hits shelves this Thursday, July 20. Check out the covers below:
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I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at 12DOVE, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.
- Emily GarbuttEntertainment Writer