Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner is moving over to the world of racing with Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions’ feature adaptation of Gran Turismo, a new report by The Hollywood Reporter reveals. Also joining the cast is action star Djimon Hounsou. The movie already shooting in Hungary with a previously announced cast that includes David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnett, Archie Madekwe, Daniel Puig, Josha Stradowski, and German actor Thomas Kretschman.
The feature based on the fan-favorite PlayStation video game by the same name is described as the “ultimate wish-fulfillment tale.” It follows a teenage Gran Turismo player whose impeccable gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race-car driver. Harbour plays a retired driver who teaches the young teenager, played by Madekwe, to drive. Halliwell-Horner and Hounsou are playing the teen’s parents while Puig plays his brother. Stradowski is a rival driver with Kretschman playing his father.
While Halliwell-Horner has previously appeared on reality TV and documentaries, and also made brief appearances in features like HBO’s Sex and the City and in the 2004 film Fat Slags. She also appeared alongside her bandmates in Gran Turismo marks a rare narrative screen appearance for her. The singer and songwriter is popular among millennials as Ginger Spice, from the iconic English girl band Spice Girls, the pop group that sold over 100 million records and became the best-selling female group of all time. Her casting makes perfect sense as her husband Christian Horner is a former racer and is now team principal of Red Bull’s Formula One team. So who better than the former Spice Girl to portray the mother of a budding racer?
Two times Academy Award nominated Hounsou, has garnered critical acclaim for his performance in features like In America, and Blood Diamond. He’s also among the few actors who has worked in both MCU and DC having starred in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, Aquaman, and Shazam. He was briefly seen in Dwayne Johnson’s passion project, Black Adam. He also has features like A Quiet Place Part II, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and Never Back Down to his credit. He recently wrapped shooting Zack Snyder’s Netflix feature Rebel Moon and will be seen in next year’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Gran Turismo is helmed by Neil Blomkamp, who is best known for directing movies such as District 9 and Elysium. The feature is based on a true story and is the script written by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard).
The movie will premiere on August 11, 2023.
via Collider