Dan Houser, Rockstar Games co-founder and former head writer, recently addressed the long-debated topic of a Grand Theft Auto (GTA) movie adaptation.
Speaking with The Ankler, Houser explained why a film version of the iconic video game franchise "never made sense" to him and his team.
Why A Grand Theft Auto Movie Was Too Risky
According to Houser, the idea of a GTA movie had been floated numerous times over the years, but the risks involved were simply too great.
"Why would we do this?" Houser and other Rockstar leads questioned the film executives. "What you've described is you making a movie and us having no control and taking a huge risk, that we're going to end up paying for with something that belongs to us."
"They thought we'd be blinded by the lights and that just wasn't the case," Houser added. "We had what we considered to be multi-billion dollar IP, and the economics never made sense. The risk never made sense. In those days, the perception was that games made poor-quality movies."
Hollywood Missed Out On GTA Movie Potential
Various concepts for a GTA film have risen and fallen over the years, including one reportedly starring Eminem. Despite this, Rockstar has consistently resisted the lure of Hollywood.
Even with high-profile actors such as Jack Black expressing disbelief that neither GTA nor Rockstar's other hit franchise, Red Dead Redemption, had been made into films, the company remained firm in its decision. This stance persisted amid a growing trend of video game adaptations such as "Sonic the Hedgehog," "Minecraft" and "Borderlands."
Rockstar Games' Commitment To Creative Control
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive Software Inc (NASDAQ:TTWO), echoed Houser's sentiments back in 2019.
"If we were to do something like that, we'd want to have complete creative control to make sure we expressed [GTA] in the way we wanted — and that would mean we'd need to finance that motion picture," Zelnick expressed.
Grand Theft Auto's Record-Breaking Success
GTA's success has been monumental, particularly with Grand Theft Auto V, which generated over $1 billion within three days of its launch in 2013. With the anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI in fall 2025, expectations are sky-high.
The GTA 6 trailer, which reintroduced fans to the game's Miami-inspired Vice City, became the second most-watched video game trailer of all time, surpassing Minecraft with over 168 million views in its first three months.
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