The famed Sega arcade racer is going to be getting the big screen treatment courtesy of a famed Transformers director and starring one of the leads of Euphoria and Anyone But You.
OutRun is a game that many sim racers will be aware of, developed by Yu Suzuki of Sega back in 1986 which would have players driving a Ferrari Testarossa from one side of the United States to the other. Back in 2023, we released an article detailing the history of the series, but little did we imagine the news of a movie adaptation. Well, here we are!
Universal is behind the project and both Michael Bay and Sydney Sweeney are already attached to produce the movie, with Bay set to direct and Sweeney set to take on an on-screen role. The script is set to be penned by Jayson Rothwell, whose most prolific work includes the Mads Mikkelsen-led Polar on Netflix and the 2012 horror film Silent Night.
Plus more recently, there was a movie centred around Gran Turismo, although less based on the games themselves and more on the true story of a gamer who became a real life racing driver. Sega themselves have seen a lot of success with their three movie adaptations of their flagship property Sonic the Hedgehog, so perhaps no surprise that a film based on OutRun has been given the green light.
Though the question ought to be now, what kind of plot could be conjured up for an OutRun movie? Well here is a rather interesting fact: the game was actually inspired by The Cannonball Run, a 1981 movie starring Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dean Martin and Jackie Chan.
The movie is centred on an illegal cross-country open road race, based on a real life unsanctioned event that ran five times during the 1970s. It was named the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash (named after motorcycle and automobile racer Erwin 'Cannonball' Baker).
Competitors ran from the east to west coast of the United States in a near 3,000 mile journey. The fastest time came in the form of a team competing in a Jaguar XJ-S in the final running of the event, clocking in at just under 33 hours. Apparently, Yu Suzuki when thinking of a game to develop was really inspired by this movie.
With all that in mind, it is not unreasonable to say that the potential plot of an OutRun movie may follow this same structure. Plus, having Sweeney involved could hint that her role may be the protagonist's romantic interest (who in OutRun 2006 is called Clarissa), providing them with requests to impress her during the run and giving a letter grade at the end.
Could Sydney Sweeney be portraying the character of Clarissa who asks you to hit other cars among other requests? Image: Sumo Digital / user Razonix on Steam
What are you expecting from a movie based on the OutRun games? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our forums!
OutRun is a game that many sim racers will be aware of, developed by Yu Suzuki of Sega back in 1986 which would have players driving a Ferrari Testarossa from one side of the United States to the other. Back in 2023, we released an article detailing the history of the series, but little did we imagine the news of a movie adaptation. Well, here we are!
Universal is behind the project and both Michael Bay and Sydney Sweeney are already attached to produce the movie, with Bay set to direct and Sweeney set to take on an on-screen role. The script is set to be penned by Jayson Rothwell, whose most prolific work includes the Mads Mikkelsen-led Polar on Netflix and the 2012 horror film Silent Night.
OutRun: Another Racing Game Movie
Adaptations of movies based on racing games have increased exponentially over the years, the first major example being one based on the Need for Speed franchise starring Aaron Paul. That movie - which released in 2014 - may have done well at the box office but it was lampooned by critics and audiences.Plus more recently, there was a movie centred around Gran Turismo, although less based on the games themselves and more on the true story of a gamer who became a real life racing driver. Sega themselves have seen a lot of success with their three movie adaptations of their flagship property Sonic the Hedgehog, so perhaps no surprise that a film based on OutRun has been given the green light.
Though the question ought to be now, what kind of plot could be conjured up for an OutRun movie? Well here is a rather interesting fact: the game was actually inspired by The Cannonball Run, a 1981 movie starring Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dean Martin and Jackie Chan.
The movie is centred on an illegal cross-country open road race, based on a real life unsanctioned event that ran five times during the 1970s. It was named the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash (named after motorcycle and automobile racer Erwin 'Cannonball' Baker).
Competitors ran from the east to west coast of the United States in a near 3,000 mile journey. The fastest time came in the form of a team competing in a Jaguar XJ-S in the final running of the event, clocking in at just under 33 hours. Apparently, Yu Suzuki when thinking of a game to develop was really inspired by this movie.
With all that in mind, it is not unreasonable to say that the potential plot of an OutRun movie may follow this same structure. Plus, having Sweeney involved could hint that her role may be the protagonist's romantic interest (who in OutRun 2006 is called Clarissa), providing them with requests to impress her during the run and giving a letter grade at the end.
Could Sydney Sweeney be portraying the character of Clarissa who asks you to hit other cars among other requests? Image: Sumo Digital / user Razonix on Steam
What are you expecting from a movie based on the OutRun games? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our forums!
