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The BBC’s upcoming drama about the creation of Grand Theft Auto has landed in hot water with the series’ creator, Rockstar.
Announced earlier this year, Game Changer (working title) was outlined as a standalone 90-minute feature dramatising the conflict between Rockstar president Sam Houser and outspoken GTA critic Jack Thompson, as well as the events surrounding the creation of the first Grand Theft Auto game.
Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton had already been confirmed as being attached, playing Houser and Thompson, respectively.
Filming began on April 20th, with the show slated for broadcast in the latter half of this year.
But now the future of the project seems unclear, as Rockstar has filed a lawsuit against the BBC, citing trademark infringement.
The firm’s parent company Take-Two issued a statement to IGN, stating: "While holders of the trademarks referenced in the film title and its promotion,Rockstar Gameshas had no involvement with this project.
Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC’s pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games.
We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary."
