BioShock Tagged Articles at Cinematical
'Bioshock' Enlists '28 Weeks Later' Director
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Deals », Universal », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Games and Game Movies »
Earlier this summer, the brakes were put on Universal's adaptation of Bioshock due to its enormous budget, and a need for tax incentives were said to be pushing the film overseas. The budgetary crisis put Gore Verbinski into a bit of a pickle, and he was unsure he would continue with the film if it moved to London. Now it looks like Verbinski is officially off the project, and Universal has hired Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) to go under the sea instead.Variety reports that Fresnadillo is still in talks, and that it all becomes official if Bioshock's maker, Take-Two Interactive, agrees to the decision as they must approve the choice of director. But the decision indicates they are shaving that budget, and they are determined to make the film overseas. Universal is also determined that this won't turn into another Halo incident. (Although I think we all agree that any disappointment that caused District 9 was very much worth it, right?)
It has to be a huge disappointment for Verbinski, who dropped Pirates 4 to tackle Bioshock, and really seemed to love the project. (Perhaps Verbinski will find himself in a similar Cinderalla situation as Neill Blomkamp!) Of course, the big question remains as to whether all of this talk is even worth it, since we know what game adaptations are generally like. A lot of hopes are being pinned on Bioshock, and let's hope a few of them are fulfilled.
Could Great Video Games Finally Get Great Movies?
Filed under: Action », Horror », Thrillers », Deals », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Games and Game Movies »
There are plenty of fun, or at least serviceable, video games based on movies, and there have been plenty of abominable ones as well. I've paid cash money to see freaky skinless zombie dogs in Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and Lara Croft swing from the ceiling in at least one of the Tomb Raider movies. I've wisely avoided the Uwe Boll poopfests, especially Postal, an adaptation of a game that was a cheaply made piece of crap when I first played it in, oh, the early '00s. Let's not even discuss the Mortal Kombat movies or the Super Mario Bros. movie that Harold Ramis wisely passed on. There are just so many mediocre games that have gotten way too much screen time.But perhaps the cinema will begin to shine for us video game/film nerds. (Not too brightly, though -- it's dark in here with all the monitors!) There are plenty of excellent games out there, and even if they don't all quite make it to the big screen, recent developments have got me hopeful that really cool directors are sitting up and taking notice.
Gore Verbinski Might Be Off 'Bioshock'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Universal », RumorMonger », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Games and Game Movies »
Gore Verbinski and Bioshock just can't catch a break. Back in April, Universal put the breaks on the video game adaptation because of its swollen budget, estimated to be $160 million and rising. The studio was pushing Verbinski to move production to the U.K. and take advantage of the tax credits there.Even then, Verbinski seemed reluctant to uproot the production, and now he's told the LA Times that he may be off the film because of it. "The bottom line is it has to shoot out of the States for budget reasons and my schedule may be prohibitive. There's a great script and a really interesting cast. It really comes down to the financial model now. Big movies are just not being shot in the States. I'm weighing whether I can physically go the U.K. or Australia or one of those other places with a tax rebate for a year-and-a-half."
It's entirely possible Verbinski will walk, and Bioshock will go forward with another director who won't mind going overseas to shoot. In the meantime, we can wonder if "interesting cast" is a confirmation that Wentworth Miller is really to play Frank Fontaine (doubtful since his alleged Twitter account that produced the rumor has been suspended), wonder who could replace Verbinski, and lament that the U.S. ships its big movies overseas in this economic crunch.
'Bioshock' Gets the Budget Brakes
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Universal », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Games and Game Movies »
Weeks after Gore Verbinski abandoned Pirates to focus on Bioshock, Universal has put the freeze on the project, which was well into the pre-production stage. According to Variety the studio balked at the budget (which was estimated to be $160 million and rising to a cost described as "untenable"), halted production, and fired a few production staffers. Verbinski and Universal are currently debating how to make the film on a slimmer budget. One of their solutions is to move filming from L.A. to London. "We were asked by Universal to move the film outside the U.S. to take advantage of a tax credit," Verbinski said. "We are evaluating whether this is something we want to do. In the meantime, the film is in a holding pattern."Everyone involved is stressing that Bioshock is not being abandoned like Halo was, but just restructured and refinanced in order to come in at a lower budget. The studio also froze Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, allowing it to be rewritten from that Nottingham idea, and come in with a $130 million budget. (We also got State of Play out of the deal which is kind of nice.)
I suppose the big question is whether a tighter budget will make a better Bioshock by forcing the creative team to rely on story and not special effects, or whether it will actually hamper the adaptation by saddling it with cheesy CG. I still haven't played it, but I constantly hear about the look and design of the game. It'll be a shame if that's compromised.
Gore Verbinski Jumps the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Ship
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Disney », Family Films », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Johnny Depp », Remakes and Sequels »
If Pirates of the Caribbean really decides to weigh anchor and sail in 2010, it will have to be with a new captain. According to Variety, Gore Verbinski has officially informed Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer that he's no longer interested in swashbuckling, and won't be helming a fourth installment."I had a fantastic time bringing Pirates to life, and I am eternally grateful to Jerry, Johnny and the rest of the creative and production team," Verbinski said. "I'm looking forward to all of us crossing paths again in the future."
Instead, he's throwing all his attention to another underwater project -- his eagerly awaited adaptation of Bioshock, which is expected to be his next directing vehicle after he finishes on the Johnny Depp voiced Rango.
The fourth Pirates was being eyed for a 2010 start date, and it's not known if Verbinski's departure will affect that although it doesn't seem like Disney is racing to get into production any time soon despite all those Russell Brand rumors.
A lot of people are fried on the Pirates franchise and while I should be one of them (Jack Sparrow is still alive and well in this house), I'll always be a sucker for high seas adventure. Maybe a change-up behind the scenes will breathe some new life into the series, and avoid another muddy plot like At World's End.
Discuss: Making Video Game Movies That Work
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Peter Jackson », Games and Game Movies »
As is often the case with the translation of any geek property to the screen, this Friday's release of Max Payne seems to elicit just as many hopes and doubts as one would expect from a big-screen adaptation of a popular video game (well, one not directed by Uwe Boll, that is). So, coming from a position of relative ignorance when it comes to most titles (trust me, my PS2 gathers more dust than yours does), what's the current reading from fans on a film proudly rated PG-13, although based on a series of M-rated games?
And for which upcoming projects are you most hopeful: Halo -- that is, with or without Peter Jackson? Gore Verbinski's BioShock? Jerry Bruckheimer's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time? (And just when is The Rock's Spy Hunter coming out anyway? Do you care?) (Should I?)
As for my fellow ignorati: does this look to you like an appealing action movie regardless? Which video-game movies worked best despite your lack of familiarity with the source material? My vote goes to the first Resident Evil, with some moderate supporting love going to Silent Hill and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within -- no great blasphemy intended.
Oh, and just to keep things jumping, any thoughts on the following titles, or any left out, are more than welcome: DOA: Dead or Alive, Doom, Double Dragon, Hitman, the Mortal Kombat films, Street Fighter, Super Mario Brothers, the Tomb Raider franchise, Wing Commander.
Gore Verbinski to Direct 'Bioshock'
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Universal », Newsstand », Games and Game Movies »
This news has the gaming world all a-flutter. Variety announced today that Gore Verbinski is taking the director's chair for the big screen adaptation of Bioshock. Universal has the rights to the video game adaptation, which Verbinski will direct and produce. John Logan will write the screenplay, and Verbinski plans to jump into pre-production as soon as it is finished and approved.Bioshock was a hugely successful game, winning numerous awards and making a movie inevitable. And Take-Two Interactive, Bioshock's publisher, is so determined to see it onscreen that they structured the deal to make Halo like failure impossible.
Is 'BioShock' Getting Ready for The Big Screen?
Filed under: Action », Deals », RumorMonger », Games and Game Movies »
There isn't much you can't rely on in this life, but your favorite video games being turned into a movie seems to be something you can always count on. According to Joystiq, there is already talk of turning the best-selling game BioShock into a feature film. Joystiq reports that a trustworthy source at an as-yet-to-be named studio told them that the project has been garnering steam, and that big-wigs at Take 2 Interactive are already on board with the studio to bring the video game to the screen. BioShock is set in a dystopian underwater city named Rapture in the year of 1960. The focus of the first person shooter is a man named Jack who has crash landed in the city and now is left with the daunting task of figuring out just what the hell is going on. The game was packed with plenty of style (tutorials are presented to the player in the form of vintage instructional films) and some pretty creepy characters. The game was praised for its open-ended game play and impressive A.I. The game has shipped over 1.5 million units already and Take 2 is already toying with the idea of turning the game into a franchise.
So like any game that is described as 'cinematic'; it was probably only a matter of time before talk of a movie surfaced. Already there is some speculation that BioShock would be another green screen extravaganza (like 300) to bring the world of Rapture to the screen. As we all know, video game flicks have never really lived up to their promise; it hasn't stopped studios from grabbing every title they can get their hands on. There is nothing official yet, but it would not surprise me in the least if BioShock is the next well crafted video game about to be turned into a crappy flick. So stay tuned to Cinematical to see if BioShock: The Movie becomes more than just idle Internet gossip.
[via CinemaBlend]
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