Never Have I Ever star Darren Barnet to play rival racer in Gran Turismo movie

Every good racing movie needs a rivalry, whether it’s James Hunt vs. Niki Lauda in Rush or Ford vs. Ferrari in Le Mans 66. The upcoming Gran Turismo movie is no exception. Playing the role of the antagonist will be Darren Barnet, as confirmed by Hollywood Reporter.

Never Have I Ever’s Darren Barnet joins Gran Turismo movie cast

Based on a true story, the Gran Turismo movie follows a teenage Gran Turismo gamer who becomes a professional racing driver after winning an esports competition. Playing the talented teenage gamer will be Archie Madekwe, who is mentored by a retired racing driver portrayed by Stranger Things’ David Harbour.

Known for starring in the popular Netflix series Never Have I Ever, Barnet’s character is a “racer who is ranked at the top at the GT academy” and is “not thrilled to see the upstart teen excel.”

Sounds like there will be some creative license to make the movie adaptation’s story more exciting and create a rivalry between the two characters. Barnet also had a lead role in the Netflix romantic comedy Love Hard.

This is the fourth confirmed Gran Turismo movie cast member following David Harbour, Archie Madekwe, and Orlando Bloom, who will play a marketing executive.

While the movie is an adaptation of a video game story with no story or characters, it will be heavily inspired by the real-life GT Academy, which saw gamers enter an esports competition to become a professional racing driver.

It’s expected to tell the story of Jann Mardenborough, the 2011 GT Academy winner who went on to race at Le Mans and finish third in the LMP2 class at his debut race.

Shooting starts this week

Production of the Gran Turismo movie starts this week in Hungary according to the Hollywood Reporter, ahead of the film’s target theatrical release on 11 August 2023.

The Gran Turismo movie is being directed by Neill Blomkamp, best known for helming science fiction movies such as District 9 and Elysium, while the script is written by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard). Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi will serve as Executive Producer alongside Hall.

With shooting starting soon, we’re hoping to see a teaser trailer by the end of the year to get an early glimpse of the Gran Turismo movie.