Bill Paxton to Play Jack Thompson in 'GTA' TV movie
Bill Paxton has signed on to co-star with Daniel Radcliffe in BBC's new "GTA" TV movie.
"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." actor, Bill Paxton is set to star as anti-video game crusader Jack Thompson in BBC's upcoming "Grand Theft Auto" film.
Paxton, who was in the critically-acclaimed "Nightcrawler" last year, will be playing a disbarred attorney who lobbies for the downfall of "GTA" developer, Rockstar Games.
The real life Jack Thompson, known for getting Howard Stern kicked off the air for obscenity, sued Rockstar Games in 2006 for making violent and sexual "Grand Theft Auto" titles available to minors, after having videotaped a Miami Best Buy selling a copy of the game to his 10-year-old son.
Thompson's hatred for "GTA" had him crusading against the games and against Rockstar, litigating to get the franchise banned from stores for the better part of a decade before he was disbarred in 2008.
Paxton, whose resume includes voice work credits for "Call of Duty," told Deadline his character is a man emotionally caught up in his causes, taking on rap group, 2 Live Crew, going on talk shows despite a gag order, and penning hate letters to individuals and companies he sues.
The film will be focusing on the true-to-life conflict between Thompson and Sam Houser, president and co-founder of Rockstar Games, a role Radcliffe will be playing. It will also trace the story of Rockstar from its beginnings and its mercurial rise in the video game industry, particularly of its "GTA" franchise, one of the most successful in the world.
The movie will be based on a 2012 book by David Kushner, "Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto."
The BBC Two drama, which has yet to release a working title, will begin shooting in South Africa next week, and will be directed by "Black Mirror" director, Owen Harris.
