As long as they’ve existed, video games have sparked our imaginations in ways unprecedented. Ever wanted to slay dragons in an ancient fantasy land? Now you can. Ever wanted to take down a terrorist organisation on the ground? You got it. Ever wanted to be a jeans-wearing bandicoot who must fight a mad scientist? Sure!
However, most people let the video game itself be the outlet for living their fantasies. Rarely does someone take their love of a video game and parlay it into a career in the world that the game is based on.
Yet, that’s exactly what British teen Jann Mardenborough did with his love of iconic racing game Gran Turismo, and now he’s a motorsport pro. That legendary tale inspired the new movie, Gran Turismo, out August 10 and starring Orlando Bloom and David Harbour, and it’s bound to get your adrenaline pumping.
Who is Jann Mardenborough?
Born in 1991, Mardenborough is a child of the internet. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that he’d fall in love with gaming. Taking on the behemoth franchise that is Gran Turismo, his skills and prowess grew and, by the time he was 19, he was confident enough in his abilities to enter a competition to prove himself. But it wasn’t just some local gaming tournament — it was GT Academy.
GT Academy blurred the lines between the virtual and real racing realms. The TV program, which ran from 2008 to 2016, showcased the incredible potential hidden within the gaming world, transforming virtual dreams into genuine racing opportunities. Specifically, winners were invited to take part in Nissan’s Driver Development Programme, a high-intensity training regime that got drivers race-ready in a much shorter amount of time than usual.
Jann Mardenborough won the third iteration of GT Academy in 2011, at just 19 years old.
What will Gran Turismo, the film, actually be about?
It’s obvious that Mardenborough’s story is absolutely primed for film — who doesn’t love an underdog? This is someone who managed to achieve something people train their whole lives for through incredibly unconventional means. Not only was Mardenborough’s route unconventional, it was at a time when pro-gaming still wasn’t taken seriously — at least not as seriously as it is now.
Gran Turismo could have just focused on Mardenborough’s accolades, which include a win, multiple fastest laps and countless podiums — and that’s just his career in Formula Racing. But, meeting the legend before he was a legend allows us to get to know exactly how Jann accomplished what he has. We’re set to meet trainer Jack Salter, played by David Harbour, who helps shape Mardenborough’s potential on the track. We meet Orlando Bloom’s Danny Moore, who is loosely inspired by the founder of GT Academy Darren Cox. We’ll also get an insight into those who raised Jann from the very start, his mother and father. In fact, the actress who plays his mother, Geri Halliwell Horner, has some real-life connection with the actual Jann Mardenborough. Beyond being an actual Spice Girl (Ginger), Horner is married to racing legend Christian Horner, who just so happens to own Arden International, which is the team Mardenborough raced with when he secured his first Formula Racing win.
And, of course, we’ll get to know Mardenborough himself as portrayed by Archie Madekwe. Playing a teenager who has been thrust into a world plenty of people dream of, and one that’s high risk/high reward no less, can be no easy feat, especially when you’re still trying to make sense of yourself and the world as an adult. But Gran Turismo will let gamers, racing fans and everyone in between know just how one kid from Cardiff took an opportunity and turned it into a widely celebrated career.
Gran Turismo races into cinemas on August 10.