The first images of Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe as Grand Theft Auto designer Sam Houser and Bill Paxton as anti-game lawyer Jack Thompson have been revealed. Radcliffe and Paxton are the two leads for the BBC’s upcoming drama Game Changer, an unofficial production about the Grand Theft Auto series.
The images embedded here come by way of Daniel Radcliffe Daily (via Polygon), a fansite dedicated to the 25-year-old English actor.
A 90-minute made-for-TV movie, Game Changer is centered around 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, Rockstar Games, along with console-makers, were at least partially responsible for the crime.
Moore was sentenced to death and is currently on death row.
Like the franchise it’s based on, Game Changer has already generated quite a stir. Some of the original Grand Theft Auto developers are not happy about the movie, which is being produced without the participation of Rockstar Games or parent company Take-Two Interactive. For its part, 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.
Game Changer is directed by Owen Harris (Kill Your Friends, Holy Flying Circus) and was written by James Wood (Rev., Ambassadors). The movie does not yet have a premiere date.
Thanks to @patwodka: #Beard takeover… This time in French. #Barbe reprise? #DanielRadcliffe and @joedempsie pic.twitter.com/y6jAvplFqr
— Proulxes (@Proulxes) May 15, 2015