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Universal Puts Bioshock on Hold

Posted on Friday, April 24th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta

BioShock

Universal Pictures has decided to sideline Gore Verbinski’s big screen adaptation of the popular video game Bioshock. This comes weeks after Verbinski announced that he would not be returning for the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film due to this new project. Apparently the projected budget is huge, a projected $160 million, and growing by the day.

Variety is reporting that some of the production staff has been let go, and that Universal and Verbinski are going to try to figure out a way to bring the budget down to a more reasonable number (I’m guessing in the $125m range). Alternatives being discussed include shooting in London, or other countries that might offer tax credit/incentives.

We do know that Take-Two Interactive received a multimillion-dollar advance against gross points on the film, a sum 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. We will keep you updated when we learn more.
Aviator screenwriter John Logan penned the script.

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.

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  • LOL THE PLATYPUSE
    This would be amazing, but how the hell are they going to do it? Pretty much everyone in the game is hostile, and there would barely be any characters. And what kind of perspective would they put it in? Maybe it would breifly show Jack going through Rapture, and the movie would consist of the the audio recordings actually put into video and go into the real scene. And just show the history of Rapture getting screwed up. The movie can't just follow Jack around the whole time going through all the battles and levels. I duno.
  • Hat
    I'm interested now that you mention John Logan. It sounds promising, hopefully Universal can put it through, those greedy bastards. SPEND SOME OF THAT DAMN CASH.
  • lkjlklkj
    Come on, Peter. A misuse of it's/its? We're not twelve anymore. You're a journalist.
  • Greggory Basore
    At least the deal prevents it from going into turn around. I'd rather see it fall apart, get reworked (perhaps with another studio) in a form that would address the budget concerns and take time to get made right rather than be put into production quickly and sabotaged by studio execs that don't get it.

    Videogame movies have sucked for the most part and will continue to suck until a studio can trust a director who understands the story to do it the best way it can be done. With the Aughties (00"s) closing out and the Tendies (10's) coming in soon I think the next decade might see an improvement in quality on movies made from videogames.
  • Bioshock - film is a great idea if done correctly. As

    "I don't understand how shit like Bloodrayne and Hitman get produced, and yet a game that has serious film potential like Bioshock can't get off the ground.

    Granted, I would probably be highly disappointed with whatever the actual finished product is, but provided it's done right, a Bioshock film could be incredible. "

    IronMatt13 is right, how can those two movies be made, and as Eddy Movies said

    "The difference between a Hitman movie and a Bioshock movie is about $140 million."

    That is also right. Gore Verbinski is a great director with credentials with films as
    - The Mexican
    - The Ring
    - P.O.T.C 1-3
    and now soon Bioshock. I have faith in him to do this right, and with his style of filming, the movie will be great with the art deco style combined with the colors that will be laid into post-production, that will be really cool. i say, bring them on, but take time to bring it.
  • You don't like Mousehunt then?
  • Yes i do, must have forgotten that one when punshing in the data
  • That sucks, with all the news about Bioshock 2 i was getting real excited for this movie. It could have been great.
  • Juan
    First Halo and now this? I guess it's understandable though, since they did put 70 million into Doom and it did quite bad.
  • Don't delude yourself into thinking Halo would be a good film. Films require story and character. Halo is a convoluted mess of "story" that hides it's shortcomings behind an unrelatable posterboy and some decent multiplayer.
  • Agreed, Halo sucks and is overated. Is the Gears of War film still in the works?
  • huge budget, huge movie. don't let us down.
  • They should shoot the movie in Michigan. There is about a 40% Tax incentive. Get this shit made.
  • fex
    Now would you kindly make this film before some one attaches Brett Ratner to the project?
  • This makes me a sad, sad panda
  • Bioshock is a great game with an intense and intriguing story. Hopefully it will get the treatment it deserves and won't simply become another horrible video game movie.
  • Bioshock should be really cool! I'm still waiting for a Half-Life film myself.
  • I never thought of that but Half-Life would be an awesome movie, and half-life 2
  • I never thought of that but Half-Life would be an awesomemovie, and half-life 2
  • I don't understand how shit like Bloodrayne and Hitman get produced, and yet a game that has serious film potential like Bioshock can't get off the ground.

    Granted, I would probably be highly disappointed with whatever the actual finished product is, but provided it's done right, a Bioshock film could be incredible.
  • The difference between a Hitman movie and a Bioshock movie is about $140 million.
  • V-Fish
    LOVE the game, but it really doesn't need to be a film.
  • Goobity
    Eventually, movie execs will get the idea that video games are coming into their own as 'entertainment vehicles'. Just like comics, translation into another medium doesn't always mean success, nor is it even necessary.
    Why can't each media stand on it's own merits?
    Oh, yeah. Stupidity and greed. If it ain't broke, you ain't gonna fix it.
  • mbellerbrock
    Nah, eventually we'll have a Blade or Xmen of the videogame adaptation and they will bring forth the era of the successful videogame film. Look at the comic book movies, for years they were sub par, but now we have Spiderman, TDK, Iron Man, etc.

    That being said, I think I'm one of 2 people in the world who honest to God hates Bioshock, I hope this gets canceled. I can't imagine which is a worse premise for a movie Pirates 4 or Bioshock...
  • Why is it that all video game movies that have a chance always get shelved. It happened with Halo and now this. It also happen when they first try to do Resident Evil when George Romero. He wanted to do it after Resident Evil 2 ad he did for japan. It had a full line up of the game and he wanted to put Bruce Willis as Barry. I know its on Fox's end or they are saying stuff universal does not like and is backing out. Since Fox just cant let things be.
  • nelson
    take a gamble universal watchmen went with 150 million not overly successful but still take a gamble
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