Verbinski BioShocks Hollywood

Pirates of the Caribbean director helming adaptation of 2K's groundbreaking undersea actioner; Universal courting Gladiator screenwriter to pen script.

Gore Verbinski is returning to Davy Jones' locker. Having completed work on the Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy, Verbinski has signed on for another oceanic epic with the big-screen adaptation of 2K Games' award-winning action game BioShock.

The publisher today announced the project in conjunction with Universal Pictures. The studio is in talks with Academy Award-nominated writer John Logan (Aviator, The Time Machine) to provide the screenplay.

In an interview with Hollywood trade magazine Variety, Verbinski said the film won't be on the same scale as his summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean films.

"It's a much more intimate story than Pirates," Verbinski explained. "Although it's an adventure, its a dramatic adventure. I see it more along the lines of Blade Runner."

Although the Disney ride-based films are his best-known work, Verbinski has worked on smaller-scale pictures as well. He directed the US remake of The Ring, as well as the 1997 family picture Mousehunt. Three months ago, he gave the keynote address at the DICE Summit, telling hundreds of the game-industry elite about his growing interest in games.

Verbinski also told the trade that he was prepared to make a BioShock movie rated R. Beyond the dark tone and violence of the game, Verbinski also said the "graphic nature of the story is smarter than that."

"The utopian references and the way the characters and world are drawn in that delightfully inspired Jules Verne and Ayn Rand style places the film in a more elevated realm," Verbinski said. "It's the realm of a graphic novel. It has to have that edge."

Variety also reported that Take-Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick dismissed fears that the project would end up in turnaround like Universal's last big game adaptation--Halo--saying that the BioShock deal was structured specifically to avoid such a fate.

No projected release window for the film was announced, nor was the casting of any major characters--including the silent, faceless protagonist--revealed.

397 Comments

  • lorenmb1

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 7:42 pm PT

    @EverteMax You have to realize that the movie industry is smart to adapt video games to movies. The video game industry has surpassed movies and music and become number 1 in the entertainment business. Making games into movies only helps their sales, seeing as to how almost all gamers who played this game will see the movie. So the question becomes, why aren't they making more great games into movies? As long as they take their time and do it right the movie industry stands to make tons of money from this deal. This also means that if people start spending more money on movies it will help stimulate the economy. Granted that would only be a small piece, but a piece none the less. I hope they are careful not to screw this one up. I will be highly disapointed if they don't follow he story exactly. Make sure that the actors and directors have seen or better yet played the game and it should be alright.

  • Vietnamgamer

    Posted Dec 14, 2008 7:46 pm PT

    Josedejesus...u took the words right from my mouth haha! UWE BOLL SUCKS! Postal was terrible..!!!

  • Vietnamgamer

    Posted Dec 14, 2008 7:44 pm PT

    If they follow the game, and dont split off like...Silent Hill or Doom I'd say its gonna be pretty good....just dont incorporate Uwe Boll...speaking of Uwe Boll he better not go thru and create FarCry...it'll ruin it.

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Nov 9, 2008 7:27 pm PT

    YAY! Hope they don't screw it up. That's all I have to say about that...

  • Hitnake

    Posted Oct 26, 2008 8:34 am PT

    I hope they don't ruin this amazing and deep story .

  • Psycold

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 10:35 am PT

    this film would be so expensive with all the water destroying sets over and over

  • masamune8

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 7:05 am PT

    It's great that this game will be turned in to a movie. Everyone should be ably to experience this story. Even people who don't play games.

  • josedejesus

    Posted Oct 23, 2008 7:23 pm PT

    As is always, its the money that counts. I expect a bad movie if its made with a budget of 30-60 mil, a decent but not great movie if the budget is between 60-80mil, a good movie if its 80-110mil, and the best game to movie adaptation if the studios decide to invest over 110 million on this movie, i estimate about 150 million would be required to make it memorable, that and someone kidnap Uwe Boll and make him disappear while this movie is in production so he won't completely destroy it, I mean, who in their right mind gives this guy a video game adaptation so that he can completely turn it into dog sh*t, its like he wants to be the most hated person by all gamers in this planet, and I disagree, DOOM is not the worst video game adaptation, see BloodRayne or Postal for that award, thanks Boll.

  • witide

    Posted Oct 23, 2008 5:51 pm PT

    This sounds like it might be a great movie!

  • acountddd

    Posted Oct 18, 2008 3:04 am PT

    Well if it's the director of "Pirates of the Carribean" and the screenwriter for "The Time Machine" and NOT Uwe Boll I have very high hopes for this film.

  • EverteMax

    Posted Oct 17, 2008 9:56 am PT

    has hollywood run out of scripts? wat's wif all these game adaptations? no wait...they aren't adaptations, they are photocopies!

    this situation is getting ridiculous...when hollywood loses to the game industry, mind you, they are fighting during blockbuster seasons...especially winter holidays...they try to suck the game industry...this year's iron man n GTA4 is a good indication that both industries banged head on! (lucky for iron man, or GTA4...fans nowadays can spend some money n grab both)

    nearly all game movies have failed...n there aren't many

    if you seriously run out of ideas, go pick up novels n turn them to movies...nowadays we see so little original movies...most of them are adapted from somewhere...

    if games can come up with new ideas now n then, what's wrong with you hollywood?

  • drumbreak1

    Posted Oct 17, 2008 4:19 am PT

    yeah lol this will be interesting gandalf

  • gandalf9303

    Posted May 31, 2008 2:27 pm PT

    what are they gonna do for the story? it says right on the back of the box; "no encounter ever plays out the same, and no two gamers will play the game the same way."
    im still gonna see it day it comes out though

  • thenephariouson

    Posted May 23, 2008 1:26 am PT

    Movie / Game tie-in! do i need to say anymore?

  • static-vader

    Posted May 20, 2008 6:11 pm PT

    so is it CGI or live action?

  • DUUUUUUDEn51

    Posted May 19, 2008 10:27 pm PT

    I still think it's gonna suck balls... I mean, what tells us that it's not gonna be some stupid blockbuster. I bet my eyes they're gonna destroy the story, wreck the photography (which is one of the reasons why I love it so much),
    and put some pretty, famous faces, like singers that aren't really much of actors. And you know what's worse? They'll probably make an awful lot of money, because everyone who liked the game will go see it... EVEN ME!!!
    AAAAGGGH ! ! !
    At least that's what I think...

  • Doctorpalle

    Posted May 19, 2008 7:25 am PT

    can't wait.... simply love BioShock....

  • DemonRaptor

    Posted May 18, 2008 9:29 pm PT

    Well, I'm excited.

  • cathorse

    Posted May 17, 2008 7:15 pm PT

    Make it good. Don`t rush it out onto shelves. Take YEARS if you have to, But make it special. Bioshock books to follow I guess?

    Come on Bioshock 2! then release the first movie.

  • silverelias

    Posted May 15, 2008 11:54 am PT

    They better not F this up

  • Hvac0120

    Posted May 13, 2008 10:14 am PT

    bignick217 said:

    :
    Good director who's also a gamer and has actually played Bioshock all the way through...

    :
    every actor to play in this movie needs to play this game before ever reading the script...


    Good points. I think it would make a big difference if they did that. It would also help if all of those involved were into games as a hobby, but that's asking too much. At least having experienced the game, they can get a better idea of what fans of the game are expecting.

  • asad_azam

    Posted May 13, 2008 10:05 am PT

    No problem if a movie is made. But please make sure that this one doesnt meets the fate of Doom and Hitman

    And yes,,,,, UWE BOLL, STAY AWAY FROM THIS ONE.BETTER, GO TO ANTARTICA FOR AN YEAR OR SO.

  • bignick217

    Posted May 13, 2008 8:59 am PT

    Quote: R3DN1N3 NO NO NOOOOOOooooOOOOOO!!!
    What are u doing to this game?!
    Stop it!
    Geeze!!!........They're gonna butcher this game.
    It's bad enough it's getting a sequel which may dissapoint us all but now they want to make a movie?!

    End Quote

    They actually listened to the fans. They're going to make a prequel... Not a Sequel. Which I'm very happy about. A prequel would be much more interesting. As for the movie.... All the potential for a great movie is here in the game, we just have to hope that they pull it off. The director choice is a good start... Good director who's also a gamer and has actually played Bioshock all the way through... Thats a hell of a lot more promising than a director who plays a game for the purpose of making a movie. Also if this movie has any chance, every actor to play in this movie needs to play this game before ever reading the script so they can get the feel for the game and the atmosphere, before they get the feel for the script. This way they get a true artistic and personal experience/interpretation of the game before reading a script based on some writers interpretation of the game and give a means to better protray their roles. This is essential in my opinion. If approached properly from the gitgo, this has the potential of being as brilliant a movie as it is a game.

  • jimmulvaney

    Posted May 13, 2008 8:19 am PT

    This is such a great idea!
    wait a minute... Blade Runner!!! ::sob-sob::
    well as long as they don't have an FPS scene like the Doom movie did. Although it was cool then, I think that seeing it in this film would kill it. There is no god mode after all...

  • Autolycus

    Posted May 13, 2008 7:55 am PT

    the story and art can make a great precedent for a movie... being uwe boll doesnt touch it.

  • pourya_ahmadian

    Posted May 12, 2008 11:29 pm PT

    bioshock kill other consoles;then we must party;oh;little ps3 and nothing for good wii;poor consoles with poor games;

  • cheddarbiscu1t

    Posted May 12, 2008 5:19 pm PT

    please please please dont kill Bioshock !

  • linkinSOXecho

    Posted May 12, 2008 4:48 pm PT

    as long as uwe boll is not involved, im game

  • darkride66

    Posted May 12, 2008 2:45 pm PT

    @ Hvac0120. That's a great idea and I looked into it but it doesn't look like Lemon Laws exist in Canada.

  • games100

    Posted May 12, 2008 2:03 pm PT

    silent hill is a good movie, hope this is to.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted May 12, 2008 1:13 pm PT

    @darkride66

    I told Xbox that they were required by law to send me a new console. I cannot quote the exact line of the law at the moment, but there is a "Lemon Law" for electronic hardware where if certain criteria are met (yes, the 360 falls under this) that the manufacturer is required to replace your device with a newer/equivalent to the product you originally purchased. You also have the right, under this law, to refuse a replacement and you are entitled to a full refund for the product.

    I had the law in front of me when I called and they sent me a new one that was only (I think) 1 month off the production lines. My RROD warranty ends Dec 31, 2008. I am not covered for anything else now. If this machine breaks, I may be coming back to this law to see if I am still eligible for that refund. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my luck isn't THAT bad. You should probably look into this too.

    I didn't beat Halo 3 until March (maybe?). I played through Bioshock nearly 2 times after getting my 4th console.

  • advandam

    Posted May 12, 2008 1:06 pm PT

    i think to make a good film off it ironically they should not make too like a game. thats where i thik doom and hitman and many others fail, repetive action is great when you are playing a game, but is seriously boring to watch!! i think they have a good idea in aftershock, just hope it develops well and captures the bladerunner style atmosphere.

  • killejo

    Posted May 12, 2008 12:08 pm PT

    Sounds awesome! I think this CAN be successfully converted into a really great movie-- I just hope they actually DO make it into as great of a movie as it can be, and it doesn't end up like Doom, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, etc... I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

  • MajinBuXL

    Posted May 12, 2008 11:56 am PT

    Its gonna suck, like the resident evil movies, the doom movie, and many more out there. You cant transfer something like bioshock to the big screen PERIOD.

  • NorthernRT

    Posted May 12, 2008 11:29 am PT

    I think they could pull this off. But I reckon Bioshock as a film would take a long time to make.

  • Percypoo

    Posted May 12, 2008 11:25 am PT

    That's interesting

  • darkride66

    Posted May 12, 2008 11:24 am PT

    @ Hvac0120. My last 360 console (I'm on #4 as well) went just before the Halo 3 launch. I had my copy pre-ordered so it was just over a month that I had to sit with my copy of Halo3 in my hand, staring longingly at the shelf on my entertainment console where my 360 should be. Occasionally I'd push the disc toward the empty spot, pretending there was a console there. Ok, that's not completely accurate. I actually got quite addicted to Warhawk during this period. Eventually I finished Halo3 twice with my wife but the multiplayer didn't really do anything for me, finished Bioshock and went back to Warhawk until COD4 came out, which I grabbed on my PS3 because at this point I decided only to buy exclusives on the 360 so I don't get burned again. The console they shipped me this time was older than the one it replaced, so I don't have much faith in it holding out for very long, and my 3 year warranty is almost up because I bought my 360 at launch.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted May 12, 2008 10:33 am PT

    @darkride66

    That's how my Halo 3 experience went coupled with the fact that I hadn't beat Bioshock by the time I had troubles. My experience may have been a little worse.

    I played about 80% of Bioshock. Then Halo 3 came out. The day after Halo launched my second 360 RROD'd on me. 30 days later I receive my refurb. I got to play about 4 hours within a week and half. After that, the refurb began to freeze and eventually wouldn't start up at all. Would just freeze on boot-up screen. I was without my 360 from beginning of October to late-December (I think I got it back the friday before christmas - would have to look at records).

    All that time I went without getting to see how Bioshock turned out and had only played a small bit of Halo's campaign and online. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with the situation.

  • silverarrow123

    Posted May 12, 2008 10:31 am PT

    Just hope this doesn't get butchered,

    Lets not have another Doom episode on our hands!
    Possibly the worsed conversion from game to movie ever! It was bad!! Didn't even stick to the story of the game!!!

  • Lightz39

    Posted May 12, 2008 10:03 am PT

    To me the game felt like a movie so I don't see why this is so bad. As long as its recognizable aside from the name.

  • R3DN1N3

    Posted May 12, 2008 9:51 am PT

    NO NO NOOOOOOooooOOOOOO!!!
    What are u doing to this game?!
    Stop it!
    Geeze!!!........They're gonna butcher this game.
    It's bad enough it's getting a sequel which may dissapoint us all but now they want to make a movie?!
    I can see this being a fast-cash thriller.
    For the love of gOD!! Say it ain't sooo!!!!

    I almost wished the game wasn't as great as it was.
    At least then it wouldn't have to be humiliated by all this.....
    I'm soo depressed now.....

  • darkride66

    Posted May 12, 2008 8:33 am PT

    Hvac0120 said "This movie needs to be 3 hours long in order to capture the essence of the game."
    To really capture the essence of the game they should have the screen go black half way through and blink the RROD at you. Then force movie viewers to wait a month and a half to see how it turns out. That's how my Bioshock experience went. Hardware problems aside, this was still my favorite game of last year.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted May 12, 2008 8:23 am PT

    This movie needs to be 3 hours long in order to capture the essence of the game. It will be strange from a gamers perspective watching the movie and seeing a fully scripted character go through this adventure. The movie also will make the decision to harvest or save and that will be hard to pull off without upsetting some people.

    This game has a story that could be told very well in the cinema. I really hope that they are able to pull this off. This could be a big hit.

  • Dasim64

    Posted May 12, 2008 7:59 am PT

    If done right this could be one helluva good movie.

  • TVC93

    Posted May 12, 2008 7:51 am PT

    I hope that the movie is good the game was amazing lets hope that the movie is to

  • zaphod_b

    Posted May 12, 2008 6:53 am PT

    Here's hoping it's a good one. Not all game movies are bombs. The RE series is pretty good.

  • Asurael

    Posted May 12, 2008 6:33 am PT

    At least it has a good director. Maybe this is the videogame-to-movie we've been waiting for. Maybe it'll finally show hollywood that videogame stories are more than worthy of being made into decent movies and not just steaming pilaes of sh*t like almost every other videogame-to-movie made so far. I certainly hope so, I loved the game, I hope I love the movie.

  • CptObvious1031

    Posted May 12, 2008 6:33 am PT

    If the movie actually follows the game's script and plot then it has the potential of being pleasant. However a game to movie adaptation rarely works because the people making the movie are not the same people that are playing the game! They're not gamers...so they have no clue what it is about the game that we love.

  • XXMadManVII

    Posted May 12, 2008 6:25 am PT

    I wish the Movie industry would stop making second rate game based movies. I try to avoid them at all cost. this one probably wont be any different. shame.

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