If it isn't already evident to you by now, Grand Theft Auto VI has outgrown gaming and the latest proof is a blockbuster director openly admitting that he's hoping the game will not swallow his movie whole.
Francis Lawrence, who has directed most of the Hunger Games films and is now making Netflix's BioShock movie, spoke to IGN about his favorite games and the timing of his next release. His prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, arrives in theaters this November, essentially on top of a new Grand Theft Auto, a game that IGN itself called one of the most anticipated pop-culture launches of all time. The director did not disagree. "Unfortunately, I think it comes out right around the same time our movie does," he said. "Hopefully, people find time for both. Play GTA, go see our movie, play more GTA."
He was not bitter about it. Lawrence is a real gamer, naming Metal Gear Solid, BioShock and Call of Duty among his favorites, along with the original GTA, which he called "pretty wild" when it came out. He is also bringing a game to the screen himself with Netflix's long-gestating BioShock adaptation, as we've already mentioned. So his joke isn't just him riding on the hype and hoping to get traction. He's the type of filmmaker who knows exactly why GTA 6 is unavoidable.
Lawrence is only saying out loud what the numbers already show. GTA 6 reportedly cost more than any movie ever made, so Rockstar Games is working on a Hollywood scale while Hollywood works around it, the same way whole slates of rival games cleared out of November rather than compete.
The spillover goes well beyond one nervous director. Line up where GTA 6 keeps turning up and the pattern is hard to miss.
How GTA 6 is bleeding into pop culture
Where it turns up | How GTA 6 shows up |
|---|---|
Hollywood | A Hunger Games director hopes it will not overshadow his film |
Film budgets | Reportedly bigger than any movie ever made |
Netflix | Hosted a GTA 6 reveal |
Saturday Night Live | A Weekend Update showdown |
South Park | A season-long running joke |
Miami | Rockstar's Vice City takeover of the city |
No other game reaches this far outside gaming.
The funny part is that Lawrence is right to worry and gracious about it. GTA 6 is one of the most anticipated launches in entertainment history, game or film. A Hunger Games prequel sharing its week is a rough spot to be in, and his solution is the only sane one, enjoy both. It is just one of the many growing signs that GTA 6 has become a cultural tentpole, the kind of event that affects economies, has employees filing leaves and governments reminding everyone if they can or cannot skip work.