Darren Barnet, one of the breakout stars of the hit Netflix series Never Have I Ever, has joined the high-revving cast of Gran Turismo, Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions’ feature adaptation of the best-selling racing video game.
David Harbour, Archie Madekwe and Orlando Bloom are already in the pit for the feature, that is being directed by Neill Blomkamp, best known for sci-fi movies such as District 9 and Elysium.
Production begins this week in Hungary.
With a script by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) and based on a true story, the project is described as the ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race-car driver.
Madekwe is playing the teen, with Harbour on board as the retired driver who teaches him to drive. Bloom is a hungry marketing exec.
Barnet will play a racer who is ranked at the top at the GT academy and who is not thrilled to see the upstart teen excel.
PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan, as well as Doug Belgrad and Dana Brunetti, are producing. Game creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Hall are executive producing.
Sony has slotted an Aug. 11, 2023, theatrical release for the picture
Barnet plays layered heartthrob Paxton Hall-Yoshida on Never Have I Ever, which just wrapped shooting its fourth and final season. While it’s unknown exactly when the final installment of the Netflix hit will air, its third season dropped last month. The high school-set series, co-created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, has performed well for the streamer, hitting No. 1 on the charts.
Barnet also played the lead in Netflix’s romantic comedy Love Hard which held the position as the no. 1 Netflix movie worldwide and is the lead and producer of the indie horror thriller feature Apophenia, which is currently in post-production. The actor is just wrapped shooting a remake of 1980s classic Road House with Jake Gyllenhaal.
Barnet, who also became the first ever male brand ambassador to partner with Victoria’s Secret Pink, is repped by Paradigm, 111 Media and Felker Toczek.
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