MEGA DRIVE
BBC Top Gear UK|September 2023
Jann Mardenborough's rise from bedroom gamer to Le Mans racer is the stuff of dreams... and now movies. Here's five things you need to know about the new Gran Turismo film, including whether it's any good
VIJAY PATTNI
MEGA DRIVE

>1 IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT THE GRAN TURISMO VIDEO GAME

While the thought of watching A Player grind out credits on Trial Mountain for nine hours straight in a grey Japanese sports car might feel like the most authentic Gran Turismo experience possible, that's not exactly exciting to watch. Which is the same thought that crossed director Neill Blomkamp's mind when first offered an early script for a Gran Turismo movie. "That literally makes no sense," he told TG. "And then I read the script, and thought 'Is this true?' So I researched Jann Mardenborough and the GT Academy, everything that Nissan and Polyphony did together, and thought 'Holy crap this is awesome"."

Indeed, the real life story of a shy young gamer winning an improbable racing simulator competition who then went on to race in real life at Le Mans is fairly incredible as narratives go.

"I should do this film," he said. Not least because outside of being a proper petrolhead - Blomkamp's owned every Nineties hero car you care to imagine, including the Honda NSX, E36 BMW M3 and Ferrari. F355 he's also a fan of car films, too.

"I loved Ford vs Ferrari, I like Steve McQueen's Le Mans, I'm totally into them, I just never thought it'd be me making one. Which is weird because I am obsessed with cars. I'm much more into cars than I am into racing. I had to learn about the various classifications - GT3, LMP2s and all that," he said.

>2 THE FILM'S STAR - ARCHIE MADEKWE, WHO PLAYS JANN MARDENBOROUGH HAD TO LEARN TO DRIVE 

"I couldn't drive before this job," he said. "I was filming another job, and every time I wrapped I'd run to a driving lesson at night. The producers kept phoning me asking if I'd passed. I did, the first time, thank God."

Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av BBC Top Gear UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av BBC Top Gear UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BBC TOP GEAR UKSe alt
HEAD TO HEAD VANTAGE vs 911 TURBO
BBC Top Gear UK

HEAD TO HEAD VANTAGE vs 911 TURBO

For as long as we can remember the Porsche 911 has been the default best sports car money can buy. Does the new Aston Vantage represent a changing of the guard?

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2024
BOSS LEVEL:PART TWO
BBC Top Gear UK

BOSS LEVEL:PART TWO

In a world exclusive, three makers of the world's most powerful hypercars are cordially invited... to drive each other's creations

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2024
THE THEORY 0F EVOLUTION
BBC Top Gear UK

THE THEORY 0F EVOLUTION

Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar's future, or gone mad?

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2024
Koenigsegg Jesko Attack
BBC Top Gear UK

Koenigsegg Jesko Attack

The Jesko Attack drives like a conventional supercar. Brakes like one, turns like one, grips like one. But it doesn't accelerate like one.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
STIC LAPS are back!
BBC Top Gear UK

STIC LAPS are back!

It's a 1.75-mile figure of eight on an old Canadian Air Force base just south of Guildford. Hardly Monza, or the Mulsanne straight, and never in a million years - you'd think a place that would become one of the most sought after performance benchmarks in the motoring world.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
URBAN OUTWITTERS
BBC Top Gear UK

URBAN OUTWITTERS

Does the solution to city motoring lie in designs from the past with powertrains from the future? TopGear goes in search of answers... at rush hour

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2024
FUTURE FERRARIS
BBC Top Gear UK

FUTURE FERRARIS

If you thought Ferrar's past was colourful, wait until you see what it's cooking up next. The future's bright, the future's rosso

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2024
DIRTY DOZEN
BBC Top Gear UK

DIRTY DOZEN

Ferrari's new super GT makes no secrets about what's under the bonnet, but can it swallow five countries in just a few hours? Better get on with it...

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2024
MYTH BUSTER
BBC Top Gear UK

MYTH BUSTER

\"ADAPTIVE DAMPERS ALWAYS NEED TO ADAPT\"

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
The S2000 from a parallel universe
BBC Top Gear UK

The S2000 from a parallel universe

Meet Evasive Motorsports’ Honda S2000R, the car the Japanese firm should have built itself

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024