Harry Potter, The Woman in Black, and Horns star Daniel Radcliffe has signed on to star in a new movie, in which he’ll play Sam Houser, the co-founder of Rockstar Games and one of the creators of the massive Grand Theft Auto video game franchise.

The movie is based on the book titled Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto by David Kushner, and tells the story of Houser’s battle with one of the most prominent and vocal anti-gaming activists, Miami lawyer Jack Thompson, who made the GTA franchise the focal point of his mission to ban video game violence.

Here’s a full description of the book the movie is based on, which is also currently titled Grand Theft Auto (something that could still change—it was previously titled Rockstar Games), from the book’s inside cover (via its Amazon product page):

How does a group of young underdogs with big dreams but little experience transform a culture and industry? In the case of the $75 billion video game business, it helps if the outfit is run by a brash iconoclast with the vision of an outlaw and the work ethic of a Puritan””and grew up madly in love with gangster movies, video games, and rap music. It also helps if the company makes the most revolutionary, controversial, and successful video game franchise ever””Grand Theft Auto.

In Jacked, acclaimed author and journalist David Kushner takes you on an unauthorized joyride through the high-risk, high-profit, and fast-moving world of the biggest players in the game industry””and the haters out to get them. He reveals the untold story behind the people who created the product that defined one generation and infuriated another.

Drawing on more than a decade of his own reporting, game playing, and interviewing, Kushner goes deep inside the making of Grand Theft Auto (GTA), long veiled in secrecy, rumor, and myth. He also examines the cultural and political backlash that sent sales soaring, even as it threatened the game’s continued existence.

This is a pop culture story for the ages. It begins in the back alleys of Dundee, Scotland, where the geeky geniuses at DMA Design invented GTA. Fledgling marketer and rebellious gamer Sam Houser saw GTA’s enormous potential and pushed DMA to make it bolder, wilder, and funnier, and let players freely explore the game’s gritty cities, wreaking havoc whenever they pleased. With its groundbreaking innovations and cinematic flair, GTA quickly became the centerpiece of Houser’s new company, Rockstar Games, and the hottest title on the planet. But one of America’s most notorious culture warriors, Jack Thompson, had his own mission””to ensure that GTA was banned from store shelves for corrupting youth and to bring Rockstar to their knees””even as the gamers of the world rallied against him.

With its incredible artistry, arch satire, and massive press coverage, GTA earned critical and commercial acclaim around the world, breaking the Guinness record for most successful entertainment product launch of all time. But deep within its urban wasteland lurked a nasty little secret””the now-famous sex mini-game, “Hot Coffee.” It would mean big trouble for Rockstar Games and bring Houser and his rival, Thompson, to the brink.

Whichever side you’re on, Jacked gives you a new understanding of this breakout industry, and the game that defined it.

The movie will be directed by Owen Harris, who previously directed episodes of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Misfits, and Black Mirror. He makes his feature directorial debut with Kill Your Friends, which is currently in post-production and scheduled for release this September in the UK. James Wood penned the screenplay.

Radcliffe can next be seen playing Igor in Victor Frankenstein, a new take on the Frankenstein tale told from Igor’s perspective. The movie is scheduled for release in October.

[Source: Heat Vision]