According to Kirk Ewing, Sam Houser turned down a $5 million offer for Tony Scott to come in and direct a film starring Eminem and based on Grand Theft Auto, just after Grand Theft Auto III came out in 2001. Here’s what the industry veteran and close friend to GTA creators, Sam and Dan Houser, said on the Grandest Game podcast by Bugzy Malone: At the time, Eminem was fresh off a Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance win at the 2001 GRAMMYs after releasing The Marshall Mathers LP a year earlier. Eminem then debuted in his first Hollywood film a year later with 8 Mile. His performance later led to an Academy Award win for Best Original Song with “Lose Yourself.” The GTA franchise has gone on to become very successful in the decades since GTA III came out. In Take-Two Interactive’s most recent earnings report, it revealed that Grand Theft Auto V has sold 170 million copies already. As for a film, Rockstar nor Take-Two has shown signs it will adopt Grand Theft Auto for the big screen. The developers are currently busy working on GTA 6, which it confirmed earlier this year and was the subject of one of the biggest leaks in gaming history.
