Is 50 Cent teasing a live-action GTA series?
50 Cent has teased something major with Grand Theft Auto, and while some think it's a GTA 6 collab, others are hoping for a live-action GTA series.
02nd Mar 2023 12:07
Starz | Rockstar Games
Is 50 Cent teasing a live-action GTA series?
50 Cent has teased something major with Grand Theft Auto, and while some think it's a GTA 6 collab, others are hoping for a live-action GTA series.
02nd Mar 2023 12:07
Starz | Rockstar Games
Love it or hate it, we're in a renaissance of video game adaptations. While Detective Pikachu bucked the trend, we've seen the Emmy-worthy success of The Last of Us and (surprisingly) high hopes for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Let's face it, we'll eventually see Grand Theft Auto make the leap.
We've come a long way from the top-down days of DMA Design's original GTA, and these days, the franchise is arguably the biggest in gaming. As players pitch their own ideas for how a live-action GTA would work, tongues have started wagging thanks to an unlikely source.
Is 50 Cent teasing a live-action GTA?
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Posting on Instagram, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson shared a cryptic post with a logo from 2002's GTA: Vice City. The game was remastered as part of the maligned GTA: Trilogy, but with that coming out in 2021, we're a little confused about what's happening here.
It looks like the upcoming GTA 6 will return to Vice City for a modernised sequel, so it could be that 50 Cent is working on some music for the game - similar to Dr Dre appearing in GTA Online. Others think it could be something altogether bigger, so dare we hope for a live-action GTA TV series?
One hopeful fan wrote, "If it;s a GTA series...He got this TV shyt wrapped up. Pack it up ..Everyone else go Home." Another added, "If this is GTA: The Movie or TV show...the ratings are going to go through the roof!!!"
A third added, "I want in! Please let us know when auditions are!" Given the popularity of Vice City, a series set in a neon-splashed Miami is easy to imagine. Also, Jackson definitely has the skills to steer the ship following his success with the Power series and its many spin-offs.
Where is our live-action GTA?
Before you start touting a GTA: Vice City series as the next The Last of Us, it might not be as simple. Remember, Rockstar famously passed on a live-action GTA that would've starred Eminem because the franchise "was bigger than any movie that was going on at the time."
In 2021, Take-Two Interactive boss Strauss Zelnick explained there's never been a live-action GTA because adaptations lose the engagement that makes Rockstar's games such powerhouses. Zelnick said that while he loves shows like White Lotus, you don't actually feel like you're part of it.
There are also the financials of it all, with Zelnick admitting that there's only a handful of those within Take-Two that have the expertise to make it happen. Then again, we've got adaptations for Take-Two IPs, including Borderlands and BioShock, on the way.
The problem is, GTA is one of the biggest fish in the pond. Like asking why we've never had a Call of Duty movie, adapting these properties is a gamble that would either pay off massively or tarnish the brand. We imagine GTA will get its time one day, but personally, we don't see it coming under a 50 Cent series.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
