Bill Paxton in Talks to Play Jack Thompson in ‘Grand Theft Auto’

[Remy Danton]

Game over, man! The Grand Theft Auto movie just got weirder, and perhaps more awesome. The BBC production features Daniel Radcliffe as Sam Houser, aka one half of the sibling duo that has guided Rockstar Games and the Grand Theft Auto series to video game domination.

The film’s story revolves around a specific period in the company’s history, when Rockstar and GTA were under fire from firebrand Florida attorney Jack Thompson. And now we’ll see Bill Paxton in Grand Theft Auto as Jack Thompson, going a long way towards ensuring that we’ll be unable to look away from the BBC Films production.

THR has the news. The film is based on the book Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto, by David Kushner. Interestingly, the trade calls the script, by James Wood, a “two-hander,” which suggests that Paxton and Radcliffe will not only be the two primary characters, but that the film will feature them interacting to a great extent.

Here’s some promo copy for the book, which only hints at what the film will cover:

How does a group of young underdogs with big dreams but little experience transform a culture and industry? In the case of the $75 billion video game business, it helps if the outfit is run by a brash iconoclast with the vision of an outlaw and the work ethic of a Puritan—and grew up madly in love with gangster movies, video games, and rap music. It also helps if the company makes the most revolutionary, controversial, and successful video game franchise ever—Grand Theft Auto.

This is a pop culture story for the ages. It begins in the back alleys of Dundee, Scotland, where the geeky geniuses at DMA Design invented GTA. Fledgling marketer and rebellious gamer Sam Houser saw GTA’s enormous potential and pushed DMA to make it bolder, wilder, and funnier, and let players freely explore the game’s gritty cities, wreaking havoc whenever they pleased. With its groundbreaking innovations and cinematic flair, GTA quickly became the centerpiece of Houser’s new company, Rockstar Games, and the hottest title on the planet. But one of America’s most notorious culture warriors, Jack Thompson, had his own mission—to ensure that GTA was banned from store shelves for corrupting youth and to bring Rockstar to their knees—even as the gamers of the world rallied against him.

Grand Theft Auto begins shooting next week, on April 20. Owen Harris (Misfits, Black Mirror), is directing.

 

[TheGodling]

Bill Paxton da gawd.

 

[kp404]

Should be interesting

 

[LevelUp]

im in

 

[dabestkeptsecret]

They're making a gta movie

 

[duckbutta]

They're making a gta movie

More of a biopic about The Housers...

People should really read up on what GTA III was going to be vs what Houser turned it in to...

Always been a fan of Paxton but his perfect execution and multiple use of the word "breh" in nightcrawler means I got to watch everything he is in from here on out

 

[Spiritual Stratocaster]

Bill Paxton da gawd.

 

[Sensitive Blake Griffin]

paxton da gawd

 

[FlyRy]

#TeamPaxton

are we good for at least one "breh/brah" , brehs?

 

[Skooby]

People should really read up on what GTA III was going to be vs what Houser turned it in to...

Where can I read this it. Can't find any info anywhere.

 

[Skooby]

http://www.gamesradar.com/rockstar-trying-shut-down-gta-docudrama-legal-action/

Rockstar is taking legal action to shut down the GTA docu-drama

Take-Two is trying to shut down the BBC's GTA docu-drama claiming it's protecting its and Rockstars intellectual property. According to a statement issued to GamesRadar, the publisher says that its studio has had no involvement with the project and after multiple attempts to "resolve this matter" has decided that "litigation was necessary".

Here's the full statement:

"Take-Two Interactive has filed suit against the BBC for trademark infringement based on their movie currently titled ‘Game Changer’ as it relates to Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto video game series. While holders of the trademarks referenced in the film title and its promotion, Rockstar Games has had no involvement with this project. Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC's pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games. We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary."

The drama is/was to star Daniel Radcliffe as Rockstar's Sam Houser and Bill Paxton as attorney Jack Thompson and was supposedly based on Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. That's a very stylistic and dramatised take on the history, rather than a recounting of facts. Tellingly, we spoke to several former DMA staff involved with the original game, all of who voiced concern that no one connected with game had been contacted by the BBC. Former writer and PR for the first GTA, Brian Baglow, referred to the Jacked book as a "novelisation" and admitted that the idea of a drama based on that, and "a grab bag of archive materials, old interviews and the screenwriters' ideas of what it's like to work in the white heat of cutting edge game development" had everyone involved "fairly nervous".

Obviously, Rockstar and Take-Two feel the same way and are making an attempt to stop the whole thing.