Nissan GT-R stars in Gran Turismo movie based on true gamer-to-racer story

The car movie no one asked for, Gran Turismo, has a trailer and it looks... startlingly decent.

That may come as no surprise to some as veteran director Neill Blomkamp (known for District 9, Elysium and Chappie) is helming the sports-drama film, but for a movie bearing the same name as a long-running video game series with no narrative, it looks like it could be a good time.

The smart decision here was to not base the movie on the video game at all, but instead to tell the true story of Jann Mardenborough (played by Midsommar's Archie Madekwe) who rose through the ranks of Gran Turismo's GT Academy to become a real-life racing car driver for Nissan.

Read More About Nissan GT-R

Fast and Furious 9 review: Spinning its wheels while stuck in second gear You have the Gran Turismo video game to thank for the Aston Martin Valkyrie, Valhalla and Vanquish 2022 Need for Speed Unbound review

However, it's David Harbour (of Stranger Things and Black Widow fame) who scores top billing and features most prominently in the trailer, starring as Mardenborough's gruff, reluctant trainer, Jack Salter.

Convincing Salter that video game skills can be translated to the real world is Danny Moore, a character based on GT Academy founder and former Nissan Europe executive Darren Cox, played by Orlando Bloom (from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Pirates of the Caribbean).

Of course, there's plenty of drama to be mined from the story of an up-and-coming driver proving himself in the real world, but what about the cars?

The hero car for our hero of the story is a Nissan GT-R, which lines up against a rival Lamborghini Huracan, wrapped in gold to really hammer home the economic privilege of many in the racing world.

A Nissan 370Z Nismo safety car also features, while an Audi R8, Porsche 911, Ferrari 458 and various Le Mans Prototype race cars can also be seen in the trailer.

It should come as no surprise that Nissan will feature heavily in the movie, as the GT Academy was a joint venture between the Japanese manufacturer and Sony, makers of the PlayStation console on which the Gran Turismo video games are playable.

And of course, a car racing movie wouldn't be complete with the requisite high-speed action, and the Gran Turismo trailers offers up plenty of fast and furious thrills.

Other familiar faces in the Gran Turismo movie include Djimon Hounsou and Geri Halliwell as Mardenborough's sceptical parents, and Darren Barnet as a rival GT Academy driver.

With a release date of August 10 in Australia, there is still plenty of time to hone your skills on the PlayStation and get hyped.