There may not be a Grand Theft Auto movie in the near future, but BBC’s dramatization of the making of GTA is less than two weeks away! BBC is set to debut The Gamechangers, an adaptation of David Kushner’s book Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto, with former Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and genre veteran Bill Paxton!

Radcliffe will play GTA co-creator and Rockstar Games President Sam Houser, with Paxton portraying the infamous anti-gaming lawyer Jack Thompson, who made it his personal crusade to attack video games that he deemed to be too violent. The Gamechangers will follow the development of GTA and its phenomenal rise during the Playstation 1 and 2 era, in addition to Thompson’s crusade against the game series and Rockstar Games itself.

Jamie King, Nick Boraine, D. David Morin, Lex King, James Alexander, Shannon Esra, and Nicole Sherwin have co-starring roles in The Gamechangers, which was written by James Wood and directed by Owen Harris.

As you might imagine, Rockstar Games is less than thrilled about an unauthorized version of their origin story. Last May, Rockstar threatened to file a lawsuit against BBC for trademark infringement. That could be why BBC sent out a statement with the recently released trailer: “This drama is for an adult audience and has not been authorised by the producers of Grand Theft Auto. Rather, it is based on court documents and interviews with many of those involved in the real events behind this compelling story.”

Fans in the United Kingdom can catch The Gamechangers on September 15 on BBC Two. There’s no word yet when The Gamechangers will be available to watch in North America, but it’s likely to be released at some point.

GTA fans, what do you think of the first trailer for The Gamechangers? Steal your opinions and share them below in the comment section!

HT: Engadget