Is a Grand Theft Auto movie backed by Paramount set to release in 2028? Viral claim debunked

Reports of a film based on Grand Theft Auto are currently making the rounds online. The news was initially shared on a page titled Discussing Fish through X (formerly Twitter) on November 5, 2025.

The post claimed that the movie has entered development at the famous production house, Paramount. It also included additional details, stating that the main premise will be original. Apart from that, the film’s locations and production design would match everything in the game.

Discussing Fish also stated that the film is scheduled to arrive on the big screen in October 2028. The post even included a link to an article by IGN, which was published on Tuesday, November 4.

The ongoing rumors about a Grand Theft Auto movie have been revealed to be false. This is because Discussing Fish is a parody account. The page has shared other false claims. One of them stated that Taylor Swift was reportedly planning to take the “Nazi mode” by Christmas this year, which was also not true.

Moreover, the developers of GTA have not announced any film adaptation of the game. Although it was considered a few times over the years, there has been no active development. The link included in the social media post also did not discuss anything about the film.

While the rumor has been confirmed to be false, GTA has not responded to it through any platform as of this writing.

Grand Theft Auto publisher opens up on the film adaptation: New documentary and more explained

The action-adventure video game has been in the headlines ever since the reports of a movie based on it started trending everywhere. While there are no plans for now, Dan Houser, the co-founder of the game’s publisher Rockstar, addressed the same while speaking with The Ankler in June 2024.

Houser said during the conversation that he and the entire team involved in Grand Theft Auto have spoken to the film executives, questioning why they should do it.

Dan mentioned how the developers of the original game would have no control over the film. He described it as a big risk that can lead to problems, including the fact that their company has to pay in case the film suffers from heavy losses. Houser explained how things have changed over the years:

“They thought we’d be blinded by the lights and that just wasn’t the case. We had what we considered to be multi-billion-dollar IP, and the economics never made sense. The risk never made sense. In those days, the perception was that games made poor-quality movies.”

Although a Grand Theft Auto movie adaptation is unlikely for now, a documentary inspired by the game was announced the same year. The characters in the film develop a plan to stage a production of Hamlet while staying inside the game.

Titled Grand Theft Hamlet, the film was initially released at the SXSW Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in December 2024. It is currently available for streaming on MUBI.

The GTA games are part of an old series that began a long time ago, in 1997. Created by David Jones and Mike Dailly, all the entries of the franchise have received a positive response. The upcoming installment, titled Grand Theft Auto VI, is scheduled to arrive in May 2026.