The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI finally released last month, and it included several real-world references. The game will be set once again in Vice City, which is based on Miami, and Rockstar Games pulled from a lot of news stories that happened around the area. In the trailer, there’s a reference to Lawrence Sullivan, who is better known as the “Florida Joker.” Sullivan has a number of tattoos similar to the Joker that appeared in The Dark Knight, and went viral following his arrest in 2017. Over the last few weeks, Sullivan has been threatening to sue Rockstar for using his likeness.ย
Videos by ComicBook.com
How Much Does Florida Joker Want from Rockstar Games?
While Sullivan was originally looking for $2 million from the studio, that number has since ballooned to $10 million for his “suffering and pain.” On TikTok, the Florida Joker gave Rockstar a January 14th deadline (three days after his birthday), stating that if he did not have his demands met, he would “break that kid out of the psych ward” and “hack your system again.” Sullivan’s words seem to be in reference to Arion Kurtaj, the teenage hacker found guilty of releasing an hour and a half of gameplay from GTA VI back in 2022. Kurtaj was sentenced to life in a hospital prison last month.ย
The latest video from Sullivan was shared on Twitter by @GTAVI_Countdown, and can be found in the Tweet embedded below.
GTA VI vs. Real-Life
While the reference in theย Grand Theft Auto VIย trailer is clearly meant as a parody of the picture that followed Sullivan’s 2017 arrest, it’s worth noting that Rockstar made a number of changes. Sullivan’s tattoos are based on The Dark Knight, most notably the scars that appeared around the Joker’s mouth in the 2008 film. However, the image in the GTA VI trailer looks closer to the Joker that appeared in 2016’s Suicide Squad movie. In that film, the Joker was played by actor Jared Leto, and had a number of tattoos, including the word “damaged” written on his head. The arrested man in the GTA VI trailer has a similar tattoo, but with the word “impentinent”ย instead. The scars that appeared around the Joker’s mouth (and on Sullivan’s own face) have also been replaced with a pattern that looks closer to barbed wire. Last but not least, the black tattoos around Sullivan’s eyes have been given a more jagged appearance, making them look like saw blades.ย
Sullivan has argued that the video has defamed him, and that he’s been swamped with picture requests as a result of the GTA VI trailer. It remains to be seen whether he will pursue legal action, and on what specific grounds. Sullivan has argued that the trailer would constitute “defamation.”ย
Do you think that the “Florida Joker” should get paid for his appearance in the GTA VI trailer? How much do you think he should get? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
