BBC will focus on GTA creator's controversy in Game Changer drama

Game Changer, the 90-minute drama about the "controversy surrounding the computer game Grand Theft Auto," will star Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton, the BBC announced today, confirming earlier reports.

BBC Two's 90-minute "factual drama" is "conceived for an adult audience," the network said in a statement, and will tell the story of developer Rockstar Games' wildly successful Grand Theft Auto series, set against the backdrop of criticism about its inherent violence.

"But the violent gameplay coupled with its outstanding commercial success leads to fierce opposition," the announcement reads," from parents worried about children immersing themselves in such a violent world; from politicians, alarmed at the values they say it encourages; and above all from moral campaigners, who fight passionately to ban it.

"At the vanguard of this crusade is the formidable campaigning lawyer Jack Thompson, a man determined to do whatever he can to stop the relentless rise of Grand Theft Auto."

Radcliffe, star of the Harry Potter series of movies, will play Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser. Last month, Deadline reported he was in negotiations for the role. Paxton will play Thompson, as Deadline also reported last week.

The announcement also says that Game Changer is a working title, meaning that it's subject to change.

The latest game in the series, Grand Theft Auto 5, was originally released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in September 2013. Since then, it's been ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC. For more on the game's just-released PC version, you can watch the Overview video below.