Gran Turismo – The Real True Story of Jann Mardenborough
SPOILER ALERT! If you have not seen the new movie Gran Turismo: Based On A True Story, stop and go see it first. Then come back and check this post out. If you did see the film, you might be like me, who was pleasantly surprised by how good this film was. I had no idea what to expect when my family and I went to see the movie Thursday.
I had no prior knowledge of Jann Mardenborough whom the film is about. All I knew was the film was about race cars and the PlayStation racing simulation video game 'Gran Turismo.'
Hollywood - The Movie
The movie opened in theaters on August 25, 2023, and is based on the true story of a PlayStation gamer, Jann Mardenborough, (Archie Madekwe.) He mastered the racing simulated video game, 'Gran Turismo,' and an impossible dream of becoming a race car driver. He has loving parents, but his dad Steve Mardenborough (Djimon Hounsou) knows life is not a game. He wants Jann to give up the fantasy, and go to college.
Meanwhile, a Motorsport exec (Orlando Bloom) launched the Nissan GT Academy competition. He wanted to have the top Gran Turismo gamers compete for the chance to become a professional race car driver. To make that happen they got to be trained by the best. He turns to former racecar driver (David Harbour.) It's an inspiring, thrilling, and action-packed story that proves nothing's impossible if you are willing to work for it.
The Real True Story of Jann Mardenborough
Jann Mardenborough was born on September 9, 1991, in Darlington, England. He was very close with his family and a passionate player of the Gran Turismo racing video game. Jann ultimately caught the motorsport world when he won the inaugural Nissan GT Academy competition in 2011.
He is a professional race car driver. The horrific crash depicted in the film, on the Nürburgring track really happened. It happened in 2015 when several spectators were injured and one person died. Nissan made the following statement regarding the tragic crash:
“The car is reported to have left the track at the ‘Flugplatz’ section and vaulted the catch fencing, landing on its roof in a spectator area. Several spectators were injured in the incident and despite immediate efforts, one of them succumbed to their injuries. The others have been taken immediately to hospital for care.”
Believe it or not, Mardenborough was in several scenes of 'Gran Turismo' working as the Archie's stunt double! So, how close did the movie get the Jann's actual story? Pretty damn close! Here's a breakdown of how much was fact and fiction.
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