Gore Verbinski Ditches Pirates 4, Directing BioShock Movie Next
Gore Verbinskiis one of those directors who fills his plate with so many projects, that you’re not quite sure which ones, if any of them, will actually go into production. I think right now Verbinski is attached toproduce an American remake of The Host, directa segment of Heavy Metal,a live-action adaptation of the board game Clue, a film abouta married guy who spends too much time with an MMORPG, a cowboy drama titled Big Hole, a big screen adaptation ofBioShock, andPirates of the Caribbean 4. So what is Verbinski going to do next?Varietyreports that Verbinski is going head first into the big screen adaptation of the popular video gameBioShockwhich was announcedalmost a year ago. Verbinski informed producerJerry Bruckheimerthat he will not be in the director’s chair for the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, which is expected to go into production in 2010. At the Walt Disney Presentation in September, it was announced that Johnny Depp was signed on for a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, and while it waswidely known that Verbinski wasn’t interested in doing another Pirates film, everyone just assumed he would return for one more.
AviatorscreenwriterJohn Loganpenned the script. Logan’s filmography also includes Any Given Sunday, Gladiator, The Last Samurai and Sweeney Todd. Take-Two Interactive is getting a multimillion-dollar advance against gross points on the film. It is believed to be the biggest video game-to-movie deal since the infamous aborted Halo movie deal between Universal and Fox, for which Microsoft got $5 million against 10%. The BioShock deal is structured in a way ensuring the movie won’t end up in turnaround.
Since it’s release in August, Hollywood has eyeing a big screen adaptation of this popular first-person shooter. Praised for its morality-based storyline, immersive environment and Ayn Rand-inspired dystopian setting, the game has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and ranks as the thirteenth best video game on Game Rankings. Set in an alternative history 1960, BioShock follows the story of a plane crash survivor named Jack, who must explore the underwater Objectivist-dystopian city of Rapture, and survive attacks by the mutated beings and mechanical drones that populate it. Jack is drawn into a power struggle during which he discovers that his will is not as free as he’d thought.
Pan’s Labyrinthdirector Guillermo del Torohas praisedthe game:
The visuals are certainly cinematic enough for a big budget film, and critics have praised the game for it’s story, something not common in the video game field. Verbinski noted that Rapture’s art deco design and visually arresting characters attracted him to the project.
“I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that’s cleverly unveiled to players is just brimming with cinematic potential,” said Verbinski. “Of all the games I’ve played, this is one that I felt has a really strong narrative.
