Rockstar "Never" Planned Grand Theft Auto Movie
Rockstar has fired back at this morning's claim that a Grand Theft Auto movie staring Eminem was virtutally a done deal with a major studio in place. Industry paper Variety and a number of other publications were actually gearing up to write about the deal before it fell through. Rockstar V.P. Dan Houser shoots that down, saying there was no movie in the works. According to Houser:
Some movie producers were trying to put something together to entice us to make a movie, as studios and production teams frequently have done in the past. This proposal was no more interesting than the numerous others we receive. We never entertained proceeding with the project... Rockstar was not involved in this project in any way, shape or form... It [a GTA movie] is not something we are currently interested in.Probably smart of Rockstar to tread carefully with Hollywood. You've seen what they've done to other games, right?
GTA Movie [MTV.com] [Pic]
6:03 PM on Wed Feb 6 2008
by Brian Ashcraft
View: AU Comments (0) | US Comments (39 comments)
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Rockstar makes GTA.
GTA succeeds.
Hollywood wants GTA.
Rockstar says no.
Hollywood makes movie similar to GTA...with Eminem, still.
Regardless, Rockstar may have said no, but Hollywood is pretty cunning at ripping franchises off into films and claiming 'original material'.
Del Deadeyes
@inphanta: Well, GTA ain't scary :P
Irenicus-the one and only
Eminem!? Please!
As if anyone would be at all scared of that nerdy little piss-streak?
inphanta
Thank God for you, Rockstar. I woudln't allow this type of stuff to enter our market, either!
Xeneizes
It's rare for Rockstar to comment on anything so this must of really pissed them off.
Manny
@FuNkYbOsS: lol so true.
GTA4= [www.youtube.com]
Irenicus-the one and only
That sounds stupid, how could a movie based on GTA be bad for GTA? I would not want the movie but how is it bad? Is there a recorded backlash against game sales of games that made it onto the bigscreen and failed or something?
Irenicus-the one and only
If you really have some sort of GTA movie jones then I suggest the following.
GTA 3 = Goodfellas.
GTA VC = Scarface.
GTA SA = Boyz in da hood.
Happy movie watching!
FuNkYbOsS
This kind of thing makes it clear that Hollywood makes no effort to understand video games.
GTA is not always about gangsters in da hood. It only used that setting for one game. GTA2 took place in a decaying, near-dystopian near future, III brought together all different kinds of crime in one city and Vice City was a more character-driven 80's story of drugs, betrayal and revenge. And IV looks to be even more character-driven, about modern life and crime in one of the greatest cities in the world.
GTA is about violence and freedom, with merciless satire of American culture in the background. It makes me recall Robocop, of all things, but it would be from the opposite perspective (and of course not in the future, unless they went GTA2 for some reason).
It'd make a good movie, but it would have to be done well. And you don't see that too often these days in Hollywood. It's all about the lowest common denominator.
Sabre_Justice: Look, I have a long name too! Yay! I'm such a trend whore!
@Mr-Anderson: I didn't see GTA as a 'hip-hop'-style series, regardless of the fact that GTA:SA was based in an LA-type city. However, True Crime: Streets Of LA was a 'hip-hop' style game.
Casting Eminem would just dumb it down to another urban movie where thugs are causing trouble.
I always saw GTA as this sort of exploitation film, with doses of modernization.
Del Deadeyes
@3/9/08=Brawl; 3/16/08=Bday...Two
the stories in GTA are the stuff of ACTION gaming fantasy. unless all you do is Pimp an Pop caps that is.
Knowing Rockstar they would Never lend their name to CRAP. And the EM is Shit. not to be confused with THE Shit. If they did a direct game to movie then Vice city would be my vote although the whole thing was comprised of other movies. But Rockstar would probably write something new up. Something with a ThemePark an Hookers and Black Jack in Fact Forget the Themepark and the Black jack.
OH and there already was a GTA movie... It just came Years B4 the Game GTA.
crunk
Everyone would die in that movie.
Allen750
@3/9/08=Brawl; 3/16/08=Bday...Two Great Days, One Great Week!: "why not go the distance and add Brittney Spears as the hooker???"
Because it would be typecasting.
@meltyman: Don't forget Grand Theft Auto: [imdb.com]
Erwin
Man, the number of GTA-style movies that have come out in the past couple of years are plentiful.
Waist Deep, Crank, Shoot Em Up all felt like video game plots, I mean where else can you get the over the top action and funny sex scenes.
Needless to say, what would a GTA movie be about, the rags to riches tale of some down-trodden criminal ...
meltyman
@Erwin: LOL...well what would a movie of GTA be but just running around, mugging people, and having "sexual relations" with hookers, whores, skanks, and scallywags?? What would the plot actually be??
But the hot coffee scene...it would be blocked in theaters also. Until movie goers hacked the code in the projector to remove the block. And you know what...why not go the distance and add Brittney Spears as the hooker???
3/9/08=Brawl; 3/16/08=Bday...Two Great Days, One Great Week!
It would be pointless, since Grand Theft Auto games are themselves homages to movies. Would they make Spider-Man the game the movie? Well...they might, but they shouldn't.
supercrap
A Grand Theft Auto movie would be 2 hours of pure violence with a plot involving basically everyone being a bastard.
Apparently studios frequently come to Rockstar begging them to let them make a movie about their games. They gotta tell us more!
Sabre_Justice: Look, I have a long name too! Yay! I'm such a trend whore!
@EvoAnubis: Ouch. Good point. I forgot about the member who actually got killed a couple of years ago when I threw the D12 reference in there. It's still a bit too soon :/
I still think Houser and Em should have a safe, hollow feud like most rappers these days know how to do (eg. Kanye/50 Cent).
discipleofjamzy
@3/9/08=Brawl; 3/16/08=Bday...Two Great Days, One Great Week!: Tom Hanks shooting up a police station and glitching prostitutes off cliffs? Awesome. Hanks in a Hot Coffee scene? Ouch. Unless from that point on it becomes a gangster remake of Philadelphia.
Erwin
@CitizenTian: Actually, there are five people in D-12. One died.
EvoAnubis
Not to be an ass, but for some reason I feel that in the game market, American producers, directors, etc. are more in touch with the Internet and people's opinion... and memes.
Ruglia
I really knew that they were not involved with this foolishness. A Grand Theft Auto movie wouldn't work out. Especially if they cast "Eminem". That would be disastrous.
Really guys, think hard about a GTA movie. It would... be shit. And this is not at all trashing the GTA franchise, as I love them myself.
Mr-Anderson
Actually, given the writing of the Rockstar team and the...hmmm...fascination of movies that they have, if it was a Rockstar Production, meaning R* does the script, hires a director that they know could pull it off, then I could see it being a good movie. What, each game already has enough cutscenes to make up a good half hour (if not longer), and while the fun of the games is in the playing of the games, I don't see it too difficult for the R* writers to put together a movie script, if they wanted to. Of course, it'd reference a billion other movies they like, should have equal parts violent and humourous, and bog down at the end, but hey... think Tarantino or Guy Ritchie as a director, and I think you'd be pretty well set. Seeing as how they are going to make a few billion with GTA4, they could probably afford to go half-in with an actual movie studio for the low budget that they'd actually need (could easily do it for less than 50 mil as long as they didn't hire retarded, expensive talent).
denki
@discipleofjamzy:
It will be a terrible rap war, possibly even rivaling the bloodbath that was the Nas versus Jay-Z debacle.
And this isn't even fair. I mean, there's six people in D-12! Rockstar can't muster that many rappers to spit on their behalf.
Maybe they can get an assist from the Infinity Ward Crew.
CitizenTian
Damn and I was hoping Uwe Boll was gonna direct this one.
Donutt007
@Erwin: You know...they would have to put Tom Hanks as the star to just barely make it less than a NC-17 rating. And even with Mr. Hanks...it still would be banned in 48 states!!!! Plus Puerto Rico!
3/9/08=Brawl; 3/16/08=Bday...Two Great Days, One Great Week!
Crank is as close as you will get to a GTA movie
taftsearlobe23
"This proposal was no more interesting than the numerous others we receive."
Em is SO going to slam Dan Houser in a radio free-style rap over that comment, leaving Emimem's fans to wonder "Who the %&^* is Dan Houser?" But by then the Rockstar/D12 feud will already be claiming casualties on both sides...
discipleofjamzy
@tehFluffz: Well done. But it would still probably star Eminem. Or the Rock. Or Bob Hoskins. Or Fred Savage.
Erwin
@EnigmaNemesis: " Hey guys i got the Doughnuts, Cream filled!"
GUNDAM-RX-78-2
"M.C.A."
Eminem reveals deep love of 70's gay disco anthem shock.
weirdwolf
Its not really a series that has much in the way of story past the generic B grade or cloning of existing movies plots anyways. That and hollywood would butcher it no matter how good (or more likely mediocre) it was.
NitrousO
They could in theory make the most violent movie ever made and whenever some country would disapprove their game they would point at the movie and go "you allow that kind of shit but not our game?"
tehFluffz
@discipleofjamzy: EEEWWWW...it would have to be from Krispy Kreme...cracked laced doughnuts with "Hot Coffee" coffee mugs, and a free child ticket with every purchase. Oh...do you know the media it would bring! Pure...Fox News, Jack Thompson, BBC media!!!
3/9/08=Brawl; 3/16/08=Bday...Two Great Days, One Great Week!
@discipleofjamzy:
America Humps on Dunkin!
EnigmaNemesis
@3/9/08=Brawl; 3/16/08=Bday...Two Great Days, One Great Week!: Collectable GTA "Hot Coffee" Cups from Dunkin Donuts! Mmmm... synergistic cross-promotion.
discipleofjamzy
Aw man, and i was looking forward to it.
LOL not really
Luuey
Smart movie considering they were wanting to cast Eminem. I would not buy another Grand Theft Auto project if that film came to be.
silentbobfan
So if this movie did come out...would we have the Hot Coffee???
3/9/08=Brawl; 3/16/08=Bday...Two Great Days, One Great Week!