Ben-DutkaLegal issues can really stop anything in its tracks, even a potential Hollywood blockbuster.
According to VideoGamer citing an article from Deadline Hollywood , the reason we don't have a "Grand Theft Auto" film just yet is because legally, it basically can't happen. Fox apparently owns the rights to any future GTA movie because of the 1977 picture they produced with the same name; the one in which Ron Howard starred and directed.
"Yes, Fox owns the… movie. Yes, it has been one of 400 development projects for several years. But they are nowhere on the script. It has certainly not been a front-burner project."
So this means Rockstar can't make a GTA movie and on the flip side, Howard can't go and make a video game based on their film without permission. …silly, isn't it? Of course, video game movies rarely fare well; even the recently released "Prince of Persia," while certainly better than most game adaptations, didn't haul in quite as much as anticipated at the box office. Maybe that's the real reason a GTA movie has been on the back-burner all this time… Then again, of all the game franchises out there that might have a shot at being an elite film, GTA may lead the pack. It has just the right mix of action and drama to stand out, don't you think?