The ‘Grand Theft Auto’ movie rejected by Rockstar
Ask any movie industry expert if you can pin one down for a chat, and they can confirm that film adaptations of video games are the next big thing in Hollywood. We’ve already seen The Super Mario Bros movie be massively successful, and in October, we saw Five Nights at Freddy’s surprise at the box office, but what about the biggest video game franchise of all time, Grand Theft Auto?
First thrilling gamers back in 1997, Grand Theft Auto has been a staple of the video game industry ever since, becoming so culturally relevant that every release prompts manic conversation. A violent game that sees you take control of a criminal who has total free reign to loot, steal and kill, Grand Theft Auto has been met with plenty of criticism over the years, especially considering the series’ popularity with young audiences.
Unsurprisingly, back in 2001, the release of the industry-changing Grand Theft Auto III, a movie adaptation of Grand Theft Auto, was posed to the studio behind the franchise, Rockstar Games. There was some thought behind the adaptation, too, especially considering the contemporary success of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie, with Hollywood producers hoping for a similar level of box office triumph.
The revelation of such an adaptation came during Bugzy Malone’s Grandest Game podcast, where Kirk Ewing, who is close to the Rockstar founders Sam Houser and Dan Houser, reported that a Hollywood producer approached the pair with an offer for a movie adaptation.
Not willing to half-arse the production, the producers pitched that the iconic British filmmaker Tony Scott, who had previously helmed such classics as Top Gun and True Romance, would direct the project, with the rapper Eminem cast in the lead role. While the casting may seem a little random, Eminem had just achieved considerable commercial and critical success with the release of the film 8 Mile, for which the artist even won an Oscar.
Despite the confident pitch, the Houser brothers turned down the offer, realising that putting their efforts into the video game series would generate considerably more money than if they were to focus on a movie adaptation. After all, in 2023, the video game industry is projected to make a revenue of $249 billion, while the movie industry slacks behind, making $77 billion in 2022.
While the world patiently awaits the release of the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer, take a look at Eminem in the trailer for 8 Mile below, and if you squint your eyes enough, you might be able to imagine him in a Grand Theft Auto movie.
