It seems that Hollywood has been courting the idea of a Grand Theft Auto film for some time, although it never really got off the ground, and thankfully so I think. However a story the other day suggests that there were negotiations were almost complete to make a film of the unfilmable.

So was there really going to be a GTA film? Grand Theft Auto: The Movie?

Well no, not really, and it seems from the people behind Rockstar (also in Edinburgh) that they were never involved in a film deal and never even came close, it's just one of those times when a production company tries to sell them the idea, something that happened a lot apparently. Here's the official line:

“Rockstar was not involved in this project in any shape or form nor is it something that we're currently interested in. There was no GTA movie in the works as far as Rockstar is concerned. Some movie producers were trying to put something together to entice us to make a movie, as studios and production teams frequently have done in the past. This proposal was no more interesting than the numerous others we receive. We never entertained proceeding with the project.”

That comes from Dan Houser, Vice President and co-founder of Rockstar, through The Cut Scene, Variety's gaming blog, and Jo Blo.

Cut Scene had suggested that this was a done deal, saying that the people at Take 2 believed it was signed and to be delivered, and that press outlets such as Variety themselves were ready to go with an announcement story. However at the last minute the deal fell through.

At first you would wonder why this could move so far forward, I mean GTA just couldn't be put on a big screen and succeed...could it? The story would turn out to be a gang land warfare story, and the essence of what GTA is would be lost.

I don't see how it could have been made into a film, and I don't think the very brand aware people at Rockstar could really have let that happen, and perhaps that's why it never did.

It seems that the deal was going ahead when Take 2 weren't doing that well financially, and it would make sense to immediately sell something from their flagship franchise.

Thankfully though it never happened as I really see this as another failed videogame project. I mean Hollywood can't really take a videogame that's filled with a traditional narrative plot rich with details and turn that into a film, so what chance do they have with GTA? I imagine we would have ended up with Postal, but with bigger effects.

Rockstar, if you want to put the record straight, feel free to get in contact. I'm just around the corner and would love to be dazzled by the wonders inside your offices that I pass whenever I'm going to the cinema. I'd love to see some of the glorious looking GTA: IV!

Do you think a Grand Theft Auto film – not the one with Ron Howard – could ever be made, and what would it entail?