Djimon Hounsou Joins A Hot New Video Game Adaptation
Djimon Honsou has joined the upcoming Gran Turismo movie.
Video game adaptations are hit and miss when they hit the big screen; some are successful enough to see massive franchises, sequels, and reboots like Resident Evil starring Milla Jovovich, while others fall flat and earn them nothing more than cult favorite statuses like Dwayne Johnson‘s two attempts in Doom and Rampage. Sony Pictures, which owns Playstation and therefore has a deep well of properties to adapt, has seen their fair share of successes with Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Uncharted; and also just as many failures with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Monster Hunter, and Angry Birds. The studio’s next venture, Gran Turismo, has (according to The Hollywood Reporter) added Djimon Hounsou to the cast, a big step to adding it to the list of successes.
The Hollywood Reporter reveals that is joining an already-stacked cast of David Harbour (Stranger Things and Black Widow), Archie Madekwe (See and Midsommar), Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean), Darren Barnett (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Never Have I Ever), Daniel Puig (Naomi), Josha Stradowski (The Wheel of Time), and Thomas Kretschman (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and King Kong).
The report also reveals that former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner, better known as her persona Ginger Spice, has also joined the cast. From what it sounds like, Hounsou and Halliwell-Horner are playing a married couple and the parents of the main character, Madekwe.
The film will follow Djimon Hounsou’s character’s son, Madekwe, a teenager who is so good at playing the game that he gets an opportunity to become a real-life racecar driver. David Harbour will play a veteran driver who is trying to teach him the ropes of the industry, while Josha Stradowski is portraying a rival driver, along with his father, played by Thomas Kretschman. The film is written by Jason Hall, who wrote American Sniper and Thank You for Your Service, and is directed by Neill Blomkamp, who directed District 9 and Elysium.
Djimon Hounsou has had a career that spans over three decades; in his early years, he started getting recognition when he portrayed Horus in the science fiction hit, Stargate and as Cinque in Amistad. He began gaining larger roles, starring alongside the likes of Russell Crowe in Gladiator and Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond; he also played supporting characters in Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and Midnight in Constantine. He is one of the more underrated actors in the entire industry, most recently appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Korath in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel.
While video game adaptations seem to be a risky business in Hollywood, they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, with a new Super Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Borderlands, and a slew of other upcoming projects. Even though Gran Turismo sounds like it is more inspired by the property than actually basing it on the racing game, adding Djimon Hounsou to a cast only helps the long shot that it becomes a success.
