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Daniel Radcliffe to Star in Film About 'Grand Theft Auto' Legal Fight
by Ethan Anderton
April 8, 2015
Source: THR
After finishing the Harry Potter franchise, Daniel Radcliffe has made some really interesting choices for big screen roles. He was haunted in The Woman in Black, fell in love with Zoe Kazan in What If, got a little mischievous in Horns and played Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings. Now Radcliffe is heading into the world of video games, but not for an adaptation of a hit game, but rather the headline-making story that revolved around the cultural impact of a certain title. THR reports Radcliffe is in talks to star in Grand Theft Auto, a drama that will recount the fight between the creator of the infamously violent game of the same name and a relentless, unorthodox Miami lawyer fighting against violence in video games. Read on!
The film is set up at BBC Films with rising British filmmaker Owen Harris ("Black Mirror," "Misfits") at the helm. For those not familiar with the real life legal battle, Radcliffe will be playing Sam Houser, the British co-founder and president of Rockstar Games, the company responsible for all the GTA titles as well as games like Max Payne and Red Dead Redemption. Houser came under scrutiny in the 2000s when a Florida attorney named Jack Thompson waged a legal war against Rockstar Games and Houser himself in a major battle about the glorification of violence in the video game industry.
Of course, as we all know, Thompson didn't exactly come out as the winner in this scenario, as Rockstar Games persists in making popular video games, and the Grand Theft Auto franchise is still one of the most sought after titles every time a new installment is released. In fact, Thompson, who has yet to be cast in the film, actually ended up being disbarred in 2008 for inappropriate behavior. This has the potential to be an interesting courtroom drama of sorts, but the title seems a little out of place, since it's not entirely about the game. The old title was Rockstar Games, but that too feels a little too on the nose. Anyway, the film begins shooting April 20th, and we'll see if it ends up stateside. What do you think?
Reader Feedback - 8 Comments
1
I like the idea of this movie, but why is it even called Grand Theft Auto? Yeah it's based off a behind the scenes legal battle regarding the game but the title would get confusing in the aspect of what if they made a movie based off the game series itself, would it be called Grand Theft Auto: The Video Game Movie? How about calling this movie Grand Theft Rockstar? Come on Hollywood get creative.
Jordan Odinson on Apr 8, 2015
2
I'm sure it's a working title.
ragethorn on Apr 9, 2015
3
My sentiments exactly.
John Doe on Apr 9, 2015
4
Wash it all down with some hot coffee.
DAVIDPD on Apr 9, 2015
5
zing
ragethorn on Apr 9, 2015
6
It's kinda settled isn't it? I was around for all of it and I don't think it was sensational enough for a whole movie. I don't even know if they story could hold my attention for a half hour TV doc.
OfficialJab on Apr 9, 2015
7
Love the idea.
ragethorn on Apr 9, 2015
8
I'm sure Jack Thompson will eventually try to sue somebody...
Luis_from_Mexico on Apr 9, 2015
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