The BBC is preparing to begin production on a feature length movie about the creation of Grand Theft Auto, specifically the drama surrounding Rockstar Games co-founder Sam Houser and American lawyer Jack Thompson. Rumours are floating that Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is in talks to play Houser, which has lead to our headline using many words that generally do not belong together in a sentence.
Grand Theft Auto has not had an easy time as a series. Despite raking in millions and becoming one of the most successful games of the century, GTA has often times been accused of promoting violence and glorifying criminal activity. At the head of these accusations was Thompson, who often tried to demand restitution form the game developer whenever a violent crime happened.
British director Owen Harris is set to helm the movie, although none of the cast has been confirmed as of yet. Harris himself is a relatively newcomer to the big screen, having mainly been known for his work on teenage super-hero drama Misfits.
The 90-minute drama is being created as part of the BBC’s Make It Digital initiative, which aims to generate interest in tech among youngsters. It is essentially trying to encourage youngsters to pick up technology related skills like programming and digital content creation to meet future demand. The UK expects to require up to 1.6 million digitally skilled workers over the next five years, and it apparently thinks that Grand Theft Auto will help bring more talent into the workforce.
Naturally, Britain recognises the work that Rockstar Games has put into the series; and has gone as far as to honour the studio with a BAFTA fellowship back in 2014.
