Rockstar reportedly turned down a Grand Theft Auto movie starring Eminem

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By Anne-Marie Ostler
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Top Gun director Tony Scott was also said to be involved in the project

GTA 5
(Image credit: Rockstar)

A Grand Theft Auto movie starring Eminem and directed by Top Gun director Tony Scott could have been a reality, but the idea was reportedly shot down by GTA co-creator Sam Houser.

It seems inevitable that if a game series is big enough, it will, at some point, get its own film or TV adaptation. Despite its overwhelming success, a movie or show based on Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto has never materialized, but according to games industry veteran Kirk Ewing, there was talk of a movie tie-in following the launch of GTA 3.

Speaking on the BBC podcast Bugzy Malone's Grandest Game, Ewing, a friend of Houser's, recalls visiting the GTA creator and discussing the possibility of making a film based on the crime-centric series. "This was just after Grand Theft Auto 3," says Ewing. "And I think at that point, it was still in Sam's mind that it might be something that he wanted to do."

Ewing goes on to reveal that he received a call from a Hollywood agent with an enticing deal to bring the GTA to the big screen. "I remember taking a call at about 4am from one of the producers in LA with an offer to make a film, and he said: 'Kirk, we've got Eminem to star, and it's a Tony Scott film, five million on the nose, are you interested?'"

Ewing then phoned up Houser with the offer, to which the Rockstar boss replied, "Not interested". According to Ewing, there was no more talk of a GTA movie after that. "They realized that the media franchise that they had was bigger than any movie that was going on at the time," he explains.

While there hasn't been a movie based in the world of Grand Theft Auto, the 2015 movie The Gamechangers, starring Daniel Radcliffe, depicts the creation of GTA and the attempts made to halt production of the games. Rockstar itself attempted to pull the plug on the film, filing a lawsuit against its creator, the BBC, on the basis of trademark infringement. 

Check out our GTA 6 guide for everything we know about the next entry in Rockstar's iconic series. 

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.

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