In addition to heaps of criticism, the recently released Grand Theft Auto IV has received its fair share of kudos. Game critics across the board have lauded the controversial title for everything from its impressive graphics and entertaining gameplay to the dramatic depth of its large cast and its cinema-quality story.
With such high accolades, not to mention record-breaking sales, a movie based on the game seems like a forgone conclusion, no?
Well, no.
You see, back in ’77, Roger Corman produced a little flick called Grand Theft Auto. The film (written, directed by, and starring Ron Howard) involves a rich girl stealing her dad’s car and running off to Vegas with her boyfriend to get married. A $25,000 reward is offered for her safe return and suddenly everyone from the cops to the daughter's ex-boyfriend is after them.
According to LA Weekly blogger Nikki Finke, Fox Atomic currently owns the rights to the movie title Grand Theft Auto. By agreement between the parties, Take-Two can’t make a film called Grand Theft Auto and Fox can’t make a game called Grand Theft Auto.
For now, the best we can hope for is a remake or sequel to the 30-year-old, PG-rated chase film but even that’s looking unlikely. As an insider revealed to Finke:
Yes, Fox owns the Corman movie. Yes, it has been one of 400 development projects for several years. But they are nowhere on the script. It has certainly not been a front-burner project.
Via: GameDaily
-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen is still waiting for a film version of Chibi Robo
Comments
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Is this really news? It's not as if it's a little known fact that there was a movie called "Grand Theft Auto" decades ago, hell I've seen it a few times on TV and it's known to be one of Ron Howard's first feature lentgh movie he directed and wrote. Plus, people at T2 and/or Rockstar (I think it was the one of the Houser brothers) have gone on record in saying there are no plans for a GTA based movie seeing as their games are already movies when it comes to the story aspect but then also with a lot more freedom.
EDIT: Okay, didn't say as much but here's an interview with Dan Houser and comments regarding the movie rumor (started by Variety) from months ago, hopefully this edit doesn't alert the anti-spam bot.
http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/04/dan-housers-ver.html
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1580997/20080205/id_0.jhtml
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
As a general rule movies based on video games are terrible.
I can't think of even 1 that was any good. (I kow the RE movies were popular, but I just can't see where they are all that great. Bring me a code veronica movie done well and i'll applaud! ....boodrayne......ew.)
I'm not a fan of GTA, but i'm glad for the fans that there will be no movie, they won't have to take the dissapointment when it turns out rotten.
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Final Fantasy: Spirits Within
I know it was not critically well received but I really, truly enjoy this film.
Mortal Kombat
Very watchable if nothing else. Would have been an actual good movie had the editor not butchered it.
Silent Hill
Haven't seen it but I hear it's good.
Doom and Tomb Raider
No, not great but watchable. Fun even.
Andrew Eisen
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
The only way a GTA movie would work is if it were a parody on a parody.
-Loudspeaker
"Volume helps to get a point across but sharp teeth are better."
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
I don't think the idea would work either, the whole thing that made GTA sell was the fact that you could choose how to be, there wasn't no requirement for running round with the rocket launcher and getting your stars up, you merely did it for the heck of it, the plot didn't require it. With a movie, the whole thing has to run on rails, and that means plot devices, which would pretty much ruin the idea of the whole genre.
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Well everyone knows that the only reason they would make a "Grand Theft Auto: The Movie" would be to mercilessly ride the free brandname publicity and piggyback on those kinds of sales. Really, the only way that the game translates into a movie is as a gangster movie, and a pretty standard cut-and-paste one at that. Any movie they would make would just be a lame attempt to capitalize on a successful product IMO.
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Meh it would just be another gangster movie, they couldn't really capture the open ended gameplay in a movie.
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Aye, I'm not hopeful for a decent GTA movie...
And the whole name issue seems abit silly, if you'd call it GTA I'd expect to see a movie based off the original game, or some of the mission packs...now there's a movie worth making!
Is the ownership of the name thing the only thing keeping the movie from being considered? Seems silly, you could call it "Hooker Massacre 38xTurbo: The Awakening" and it would work. I'd be interested in seeing a movie adaption of "Libert City Survivor" (From the radio ads in GTA III). Now there's a movie pitch!
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Another problem might be the problems associated with packing thirty plus hours of content into a two hour movie.
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
GTA would not work as a movie.
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
I Could see it no
GTA A NEW FILM BY UWE BOLL!!!!
But seriously it will never work becauses all of the GTA games are a form of parody to films to begin with.
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
It's been said already, but the first thing I thought when I read this was that they could simply call it something else...
But we really don't need a GTA movie
-- mostly harmless
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
This can only be a good thing!
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Heres and idea, why not call the film just 'GTA'
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Or "Grand Theft Auto: The Movie".
I'd just as soon them NOT ruin the rep of the game by making another generic shitty crime movie
Re: No Green Light for GTA Movie
Im not sure GTA would really work as a movie.