David Harbour Cast In Popular Video Game Adaptation

David Harbour will star in a film adaptation of the video game Gran Turismo.

By Joshua Jones | Published

David Harbour is about to enter the world of Gran Turismo. According to Variety, the actor is set to star in the video game adaptation of the popular racing title. The Sony and PlayStation production will be directed by Neil Blomkamp, known for past works, including District 9 and Chappie.

David Harbour’s Gran Turismo will race to theaters on August 11th, 2023. The video game racing franchise launched in 1997 and has continued to thrill gamers across the globe. The franchise has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide.

According to the film’s logline, it centers on a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills earn him a shot to become a professional race car driver. David Harbour’s role in Gran Turismo reportedly is that of a retired race car driver who teaches the main character to drive. Jason Hall and Zach Baylan wrote the screenplay, while PlayStation Production’s Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Doug Belgrad, and Dana Brunetti are producing the video game adaptation.

David Harbour’s experience in action projects could serve him well in Gran Turismo. The actor recently reprised his role as Jim Hopper in the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. Of course, Harbour’s character was trapped as a Russian prisoner for most of the season.

david harbour
David Harbour as Jim Hopper in Season 4 of Stranger Things

In addition to David Harbour having a part in Gran Turismo, he’ll also appear in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie for Marvel Studios. Harbour will reprise his role as Alexie Shostakov (aka Red Guardian) and once again reunite with his daughter Yelena Belova, played by actress Florence Pugh. The film is set to release in 2024.

Adding David Harbour to Gran Turismo could help the film gain a lot of eyeballs. It’s no secret that video game movies have often struggled at the box office and with pleasing critics. Perhaps Gran Turismo will be the video game film that manages to thrill both critics and audiences.

It’s also great to see David Harbour in Gran Turismo playing what appears to be the father figure/mentor role again. Harbour has played this role perfectly in Netflix’s Stranger Things as Jim Hopper. He brings a warmness seldom seen in many other actors of his caliber.

Sony seems committed to a theatrical release for the video game adaptation. The news that the studio has signed Harbour onto the project seems to signal they at least has a lot of faith in the project. Ultimately, it will all comes down to the audience’s reaction.

As of now, it’s just great to hear that the actor is continuing to receive more work beyond Stranger Things. He is set to return to the popular series for its fifth and final season. It’ll be interesting to see whether David Harbour’s role in Gran Turismo ends up being a problem in terms of production for the last season of the hit Netflix show. In addition to Gran Turismo, Sony is also working on The Last Of Us video game adaptation set to hit next year on HBO, which fans received a brief glimpse of a few weeks ago.