The Grand Theft Auto series is often compared to movies, but there have never been serious discussions of the franchise getting a big screen adaptation. Part of it is because of an agreement over an old Ron Howard movie called Grand Theft Auto, but part of it is also the exacting control the creators of the GTA games like to exercise over their IP.
“We have explored a lot of movie deals, but we have just chosen not to make a movie,” said Rockstar’s Dan Houser. “We love movies, but we also love games and that is what we remain focused on. If we were to attempt to make a movie, we would like to make it ourselves, or at least work in collaboration with the best talent, so at least if it is bad, we can know we failed on our own terms. But doing that takes time, and making games properly takes a lot of time. So, we may make movies one day, with the right property and the right partnership, but we have not found the time to do that yet.”
“No one has done it very successfully yet, he noted. Virtually all movies made from games are awful, while many games made from movies are also pretty horrible. This will change, but with an ever more discerning audience, the goals of taking something from film-to-games or game-to-film have to be more than financial. If you feel the property has something about it that is universal or could work in another medium, and it is not simply about making easy money, then that is something worthwhile. Too often, however, the aim appears to be to cash-in on the success of a particular game, book, pop singer, website, etc., and that usually produces mediocre results.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
