Don't Hold Your Breath For A GRAND THEFT AUTO Movie

Don't Hold Your Breath For A GRAND THEFT AUTO Movie

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser on why the video game maker has no desires for a Grand Theft Auto movie. Houser thinks a GTA television series would be better but even that has its drawbacks says the leading video game franchise writer.

By MarkJulian - Sep 10, 2013 08:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Video Games
Source: via VideoGameFilms.com

Dan Houser Grand Theft Auto


The last Grand Theft Auto video game, GTA IV was released in 2008 and grossed over $500 million USD…in its first week of release! Video game movies very well could be the next comic book movies so it's unsurprising that a few Hollywood studios have approached Rockstar about a Grand Theft Auto movie. However, Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser states they're not really interested, “We’ve been offered, many times, and it’s never appealed. The money’s never been close to be worth risking one’s crown jewels. Our small dabblings with Hollywood have always left us running back to games.” Houser's concerns are understandable as the current track record for video game adaptations is anything but stellar. However, considering the number of video game adaptations in the works including Assassin's Creed, World of Warcraft, Splinter Cell and more, someone will eventually crack the code. Yet Houser seems very leery of the Hollywood process. ”The freedom we have to do what we want creatively is of enormous value. The second you go near Hollywood, people seem willing, or have been forced, to lose a lot of that control. That sort of amorphous ‘that won’t test well’ attitude is exactly how we don’t work. We’ve always tried to think of stuff that’s innovative and new, and to go into a world where that’s not encouraged would be horrible,” muses Houser.

Houser doesn't appear keen on a Grand Theft Auto movie at all but what about television? “It’s much easier to imagine GTA as a TV series, as the form is closer, but I still think we’d be losing too much to ever actually do it. We’ve got this big open-world experience that’s 100 hours long, and that gives players control over what they do, what they see, and how they see it ,” said Houser. He continued, “A world where you can do everything from rob a bank to take a yoga lesson to watch TV, all in your own time. How do you condense that into a two-hour or 12-hour experience where you take away the main things: player agency and freedom? We love games and we think we’ve got something to say in games, and that games have plenty to say. So shouldn’t we just continue doing that?”

Grand Theft Auto V will be released on the Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 17, 2013.



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JoeMomma29
JoeMomma29 - 9/10/2013, 8:12 AM
Awwww who cares, all video game movies suck anyways.
ManofSteel23
ManofSteel23 - 9/10/2013, 8:17 AM
the game is like a bloody movie,id rather be playing them that watching them
titansupes
titansupes - 9/10/2013, 8:17 AM
What the hell would be the POINT of a GTA movie/show? GTA's whole thing is about *you being in control* of this guy in this world, doing outrageous things.

Silly.
Ineedrevelation
Ineedrevelation - 9/10/2013, 8:18 AM
Good!

Game need to stay games! This would never translate well anyway
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 9/10/2013, 8:19 AM
it already exists a GTA movie, it' called Scarface :P
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 9/10/2013, 8:19 AM
I'm just saying it could work. Look at The Town for example. Video game movies aren't hard, its just that people are afraid of doing them. Fans want it exactly like the games but in doing that the director loses his vision and creativity.

Doing a video game movie directly about the same story in the game you spend 10 hours planning can't work. It's best to add a new chapter and do a new story while being faithful to the characters and settings.
MarkJulian
MarkJulian - 9/10/2013, 8:19 AM
It's funny seeing all these games should stay games, etc etc comments. Once upon a time, many people felt the same way about comic books.
JoeMomma29
JoeMomma29 - 9/10/2013, 8:21 AM
@ MarkJulian

Good point, but it has been proven that comic books can translate to a good movie. This has not been the case for video games at all.

I though we would have a great movie with the following video games, but I am sure it will never happen.

1. Halo

2. Legend of Zelda

3. Metroid
SimyJo
SimyJo - 9/10/2013, 8:22 AM
I'm not holding my breath for a GTA movie the same I'm not expecting much from the Mass Effect movie. Its the player-choices and interaction that makes these titles - take that away and a GTA movie will just be something like Goodfellas. Game movies are usually shit - anyone remember Wahlberg's shitty Max Payne movie?.
Mrsinister
Mrsinister - 9/10/2013, 8:24 AM
I love his attitude. I agree that Hollywood is scared to think outside the box and be definitive.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 9/10/2013, 8:25 AM
Lol Mark
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 9/10/2013, 8:27 AM
JoeMama

Up until Blade or X-Men, you could say the same about CBMs.

Only good ones were Donner's Supermans, Burton's Batmans, and The Mask.

Meanwhile we got 2 shitty Superman films, 2 shitty Batman, Howard The Duck, Steel, Fantastic Four, Captain America, Judge Dredd, and Spawn.
JoeMomma29
JoeMomma29 - 9/10/2013, 8:39 AM
@ Levi

I disagree you had two great Supes movies and Tim Burton movies were awesome. We already have quite a few live action movies based on games and they all suck. Again I have hope in a Assassins Creed or Halo movie.
StrangerX
StrangerX - 9/10/2013, 8:46 AM
It could work as a QT type film like pulp fiction
Ocelot
Ocelot - 9/10/2013, 8:53 AM
There doesn't need to be GTA movie or series, why?, because the GTA games are already inspired by classic movies, Vice City was Scarface and Training Day, San Andreas was Training day inverted and Boys in the hoot, GTA 3 was Payback, Goodfellas and The Godfather. The games and the plots are already movies.
JohnLamb
JohnLamb - 9/10/2013, 8:53 AM
I gotta admit when I watched the new trailer of GTA 5 I felt watching The Town again and I did.
zenmutiny
zenmutiny - 9/10/2013, 9:16 AM
Why would anyone want a Grand Theft Auto movie???? Go watch any Scorsese mob film, or Scarface, or Sopranos, or Breaking Bad.
MrReese
MrReese - 9/10/2013, 9:28 AM
"Don't Hold Your Breath For A GRAND THEFT AUTO Movie"







I wasn't
crawley
crawley - 9/10/2013, 12:53 PM
I would much prefer a GTA Graphic Novel.
crawley
crawley - 9/10/2013, 12:56 PM
Also, no one remembers the characters names and they change every game. On top of the fact Grand Theft Auto most assuredly does not hold the trademark of "Grand Theft Auto" for film. So really, Hollywood should just make a movie about hijacking cars loosely based on the game with names changed and call it Grand Theft Auto. It's not like any real "intellectual property" is at stake.
DaniDeSanta
DaniDeSanta - 3/25/2015, 11:51 AM
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