"No," says the man in Hollywood, "It belongs to the cinema." Universal Pictures has officially picked up BioShock for the big screen, and major director Gore Verbinski (of the Pirates films, among others) will be running the show. No release date has yet been announced, nor any casting decisions, but Verbinski is said to be "an avid video gamer and true fan of BioShock," which is always a good first step.
Variety's Ben Fritz had an interview with Verbinski about the upcoming project, in which the director confirms the movie will likely be rated "R," among other things:
Fans of the game will not be disappointed. Of course, it's just like anything else that you adapt. If you create a film from a game you have to break some of the game's rules and do the best job you can, because they're completely different. We can’t possibly put 30 hours of gameplay into a two hour movie. So we have to make some tough choices.
We want to take all the strengths from the property. Of all the games I’ve played, this is the one that I felt has a really strong narrative.
The interview also touches on details such as Ken Levine's level of involvement, whether to make Big Daddy costumes or go pure CG, and what other games Verbinski has a special interest in.
Strauss Zelnick of Take-Two Interactive, who seems to be having a pretty good month, was quite pleased about the project:
Our ability to attract a major studio and unparalleled creative team speaks volumes about the strength of our BioShock franchise. It also demonstrates how Take-Two is delivering value based on our strategy of creating and owning our industry’s most powerful intellectual property.
Would you kindly like to pay 50 cents more for the jumbo popcorn with free refills?
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