The first trailer for Sony’s highly-anticipated Gran Turismo movie, directed by Neill Blomkamp and based on the popular gaming series, doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality of racing, showcasing the stark contrast between the cozy comforts of sim racing and the brutal realities of being in the driver’s seat of a top-class racecar.
“When you’re in a race, the cockpit is going to be 140-degrees Fahrenheit [60-degrees Celsius]. The G forces will be twice what an astronaut experiences upon lift off,” says David Harbour, playing driving coach Jack Salter in the trailer.
Based on a true story, the movie focuses on Jann Mardenborough, a Gran Turismo player who enters a competition to make the transition from the sim rig to racecar cockpit. And while the two pursuits may seem similar (you’re in a seat, you have pedals, and a steering wheel), the trailer wants to ensure that viewers know how different they are.
Read: Get Your First Look At Sony’s Gran Turismo Movie, Which Premieres On August 11
Harbour’s Jack Salter goes to great lengths to express his disgust at the prospect of turning enfeebled gamers into one of racing’s elite athletes. It’s almost surprising that Sony has allowed his character to be so unkind to the player’s of its game.
“I’m sorry, you really think you’re going to take a kid who plays video games in their bedroom—you’re going to strap them to a 200 mph rocket. It’ll tear them to pieces,” says Salter. “It’s not going to work. The guys who race are elite athletes. Your kids are scrawny little gamer kids.”
And to be fair, the heat, the G forces, the confines, and the danger of modern racecars do make them seem like much less pleasant, if more exciting, places to be than a sim racing rig. Never mind the expense of a racecar, another theme that the movie focuses on.
While it may all seem a little overly aggressive, the trailer is likely working to set the stakes of the film, and the challenges that Mardenborough faced on his way to the cockpit of a real life racecar.
It will be interesting to see how the full, feature film handles the driver’s story when it is released on August 11. For now, check out the official trailer that follows below.