Rockstar is pretty much synonymous with Grand Theft Auto, and there’s little surprise as to why that is. It’s the most profitable (and quite possibly the most popular and well-known) gaming franchise and entertainment product in the world. And if you’ve ever wondered how a gaming behemoth like GTA never got some sort of movie tie-in or adaptation, well, it’s because the Houser brothers just weren’t interested.
Game developer and industry veteran Kirk Ewing spoke with BBC on their podcast and stated that he had been approached with a movie offer for a GTA adaptation with Eminem in the leading role. With the release of GTA III in 2001, the series had properly stepped into the limelight, while Eminem had just released his Marshall Mathers LP.
According to Ewing, the Houser brothers had toyed with the idea of a GTA movie adaptation, but when Hollywood came calling with a $5 million offer for the rights, with Eminem and Tony Scott as director, Sam Houser said, “Not interested.”
Ewing mentions that as far as he knows, that was the last time the Housers had ever discussed the possibility of bringing Grand Theft Auto to the big screen. He also speculates that the brothers likely knew they’d struck gold with GTA, and that it was worth more than any sort of movie deal they could’ve gotten at the time. And, well, considering the success of its subsequent releases and the unbelievable amount of hype for GTA VI, they clearly weren’t wrong.
GTA V and GTA Online continue to be among the most popular PlayStation games today, and with GTA VI on the horizon, there’s plenty of life yet in this series.