BREAKING NEWS: U.S. and Israel launch strike on Iran | The Latest
Why the Tampa area was the inspiration for a short film based on Grand Theft Auto
By Sky Lebron
February 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM EST
"Six Stars" offers a glimpse of what gamers can expect from Grand Theft Auto 6 when it's released in November. Director and Tampa filmmaker Todd Wiseman Jr. explains his message in the film and why he shot it exclusively in the Tampa Bay area.
Grand Theft Auto 6 will arguably be the biggest video game to come out in years — and potentially could become the most popular of all-time.
And the anticipation is high. It's been in development for about a decade and it was supposed to come out last year, but has been delayed until November.
ALSO READ: Tampa filmmaker will turn a historic novel about Florida into a television series
As folks have come to expect from the video game series, it'll have its usual elements — lots of car chases, violence, and characters rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld, doing whatever they have to do to survive and get paid.
The biggest difference for the upcoming game? It'll be set in a fictional Florida.
"Six Stars" is a short film that offers a glimpse of what gamers can expect from Grand Theft Auto 6 when it's released in November. Director and Tampa filmmaker Todd Wiseman Jr. explains why he shot it exclusively in the Tampa Bay area. (3602x2397, AR: 1.5027117229870672)
The short film "Six Stars" takes inspiration from the upcoming game, showcasing that violence in live-action.
It was directed by Tampa filmmaker Todd Wiseman Jr., and it was shot entirely in the Tampa Bay area.
In it, you see a teenager clubbing, zooming down the Selmon Expressway in a McLaren, and shooting at cops and pedestrians. He even uses a rocket launcher to take down a helicopter.
Sky Lebron, host of "The Bay Blend," got to sit down and talk with Wiseman Jr. about the film's intended message and why the Tampa Bay area was the best backdrop for it.
"The scene with the McLaren is right there on Water Street near the addition. And then we shot some in St. Pete in Pinellas, like that opening scene where he's punching people on the street. That is a very prominent street in downtown St Pete that I thought looked a lot like South Beach," said Wiseman, who is also directing a TV series based on the historic novel "A Land Remembered."
"The secret's out. Tampa is an incredible place to film. We have a very, very supportive film commission here in Tampa, and I think we're gonna witness here the birth of a new film and television renaissance based here in Tampa. I'm excited to be a part of that."
And the anticipation is high. It's been in development for about a decade and it was supposed to come out last year, but has been delayed until November.
ALSO READ: Tampa filmmaker will turn a historic novel about Florida into a television series
As folks have come to expect from the video game series, it'll have its usual elements — lots of car chases, violence, and characters rising through the ranks of the criminal underworld, doing whatever they have to do to survive and get paid.
The biggest difference for the upcoming game? It'll be set in a fictional Florida.
"Six Stars" is a short film that offers a glimpse of what gamers can expect from Grand Theft Auto 6 when it's released in November. Director and Tampa filmmaker Todd Wiseman Jr. explains why he shot it exclusively in the Tampa Bay area. (3602x2397, AR: 1.5027117229870672)
The short film "Six Stars" takes inspiration from the upcoming game, showcasing that violence in live-action.
It was directed by Tampa filmmaker Todd Wiseman Jr., and it was shot entirely in the Tampa Bay area.
In it, you see a teenager clubbing, zooming down the Selmon Expressway in a McLaren, and shooting at cops and pedestrians. He even uses a rocket launcher to take down a helicopter.
Sky Lebron, host of "The Bay Blend," got to sit down and talk with Wiseman Jr. about the film's intended message and why the Tampa Bay area was the best backdrop for it.
"The scene with the McLaren is right there on Water Street near the addition. And then we shot some in St. Pete in Pinellas, like that opening scene where he's punching people on the street. That is a very prominent street in downtown St Pete that I thought looked a lot like South Beach," said Wiseman, who is also directing a TV series based on the historic novel "A Land Remembered."
"The secret's out. Tampa is an incredible place to film. We have a very, very supportive film commission here in Tampa, and I think we're gonna witness here the birth of a new film and television renaissance based here in Tampa. I'm excited to be a part of that."