Rockstar Games has spoken out with a salty response to the BBC’s new Grand Theft Auto made-for-TV movie The Gamechangers, calling it “random, made-up bollocks.” As the show aired Tuesday night, the Rockstar Twitter account made a couple jabs at the production, which it had no involvement in.
@BBC This new Rentaghost isn’t as good as I remember
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) September 15, 2015
@BBC Was Basil Brush busy? What exactly is this random, made up bollocks?
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) September 15, 2015
The movie, like the series it’s based on, was embroiled in controversy before it even debuted. Some of the original Grand Theft Auto developers are not happy about it, saying the only fact the filmmakers got right is that the franchise exists. For its part, Rockstar parent company Take-Two recently filed a lawsuit against the BBC regarding the movie’s use of the Grand Theft Auto IP, but not to stop the film from airing.
The Gamechangers is a 90-minute movie that the BBC calls a “factual drama.” It’s centered around the creation of the GTA series and game lawyer Jack Thompson’s appeal to the family of Devin Moore, the Alabama man who shot and killed three police officers in 2005. In court, Thompson sought to show how the developers of Grand Theft Auto, along with console-makers, were at least partially responsible for the crime. Moore was sentenced to death and is currently on death row.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe plays the role of GTA co-creator Sam Houser, while Bill Paxton (Apollo 13, Titanic) portrays Thompson. The film depicts a “collision course” between the two.
People in the UK can watch The Gamechangers today through the BBC’s iPlayer. The network has not announced plans to launch the movie in other territories.