Rockstar Games refused the opportunity to release a Grand Theft Auto film featuring Eminem, according to a new podcast.
Games industry expert Kirk Ewing, friend to GTA developers Sam and Dan Houser, said a Hollywood agent tapped him for a deal. Furthermore, he said the agent offered the brothers $5 million for rights to the film featuring the artist. Top Gun’s Tony Scott would serve as a director.
However, in an interview with a BBC podcast, Kirk said Sam Houser told the agent they were “not interested.”
Kirk has collaborated with Rockstar as the company released his game State of Emergency.
According to Kirk, the Housers had discussed a film tie-in during the time GTA 3 gained much success. The company initially launched the game in 2001 on PlayStation.
Moreover, the groundbreaking title paved the way for the rest of the series and the copycats that would come after.
In the same year, Eminem released his highly successful Marshall Mathers LP. Furthermore, he had only finished filming his role in 8 Mile. The film is inspired by his early times in rap.
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Interest in the GTA Matter
In an interview with Bugzy Malone’s Grandest Game, Kirk said he located Sam House in a hotel. They both stayed up late at night to talk about the potential GTA film.
“I think at that point it was still in Sam’s mind that it might be something that he wanted to do,” Kirk stated. “He said, ‘Kirk, we’ve got Eminem to star, and it’s a Tony Scott film. $5 million on the nose. Are you interested?’”
Furthermore, he phoned Sam and relayed the message.
“And I phoned up Sam and said, ‘Listen to this. They want Eminem in the Grand Theft Auto movie and Tony Scott to direct,’” he recounted. “And he said: ‘Not interested.’”
And as far as Kirk can remember, that was the last time the two brothers talked about bringing GTA to the big screen.
“They realized that the media franchise that they had was bigger than any movie that was going on at the time,” Kirk added.
GTA has come a long way in becoming a cultural movement. Additionally, in 2018, it was awarded the title of the all-time most profitable entertainment product. And that includes record-breaking films such as Avatar.
But this year, the studio eventually confirmed that GTA VI is in the works. Furthermore, Rockstar’s recommended players could participate by 2024 or 2025. It also said a leak of an early sneak peek in September won’t impact the plans for the title.
While fans never saw a Grand Theft Auto film, high-profile actors have hinted interest in joining the wide range of voice casts for GTA 3’s sequels.
Samuel Jackson, Ray Liotta, and comedians Ricky Gervais and Frankie Boyle participated in various editions of the series. Moreover, Eminem appeared on the game’s soundtrack as a guest star.
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Photo: Eminem Age Albums
