Watch the first teaser trailer for the film Gran Turismo

Sony Pictures' film Gran Turismo will be released on August 11, 2023.

This short clip is more of a sneak peek than a trailer. It includes some on-track action with recent sports car prototypes and GT cars. In the spirit of the Sony video game series on which the film is based, director Neill Blomkamp seems to be aiming for a more realistic feel than, say, the 2014 film Need for Speed.

The film, rumored since 2013 and slated for release by Sony in 2022, is based on a true story. It follows the career of British racing driver Jann Mardenborough, who jumped into the real world of racing with Gran Turismo. Mardenborough will be played by Archie Madekwe of the Apple TV+ series "See," with David Harbour of "Stranger Things" fame and Orlando Bloom of "Lord of the Rings" movie fame. [Gran Turismo publisher Sony Computer Entertainment once ran a competition with Nissan called "GT Academy," pitting gamers against each other for a chance to become a Nissan factory driver from 2008 to 2016. The competition was a major part of the film's plot. The competition seems to be involved in the plot of the film, and the trailer shows glimpses of young drivers in identical racing suits, driving a number of Nissan GT-Rs.

Mardenborough won the 2011 GT Academy at the age of 19 and finished third in the LMP2 class at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans behind fellow GT Academy graduate Lucas Ordonez. He returned to Le Mans as a driver, driving a prototype Nissan GT-R LM Nismo that aimed to leave existing rivals behind with its innovative front-wheel drive design incorporating downforce-generating ducts.

It did not go well. Mardenborough and co-drivers Max Chilton and Olivier Pla failed to finish the race in a car that was neither competitive nor reliable. Le Mans 2015 ended up being the car's only race and Mardenborough's most high-profile moment to date. It was not a Hollywood-esque ending.