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Gore Verbinski Directing a Domestic Second Life Story

by Kevin Powers
December 17, 2008

Universal Pictures and captain of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Gore Verbinski, have acquired the rights to a Wall Street Journal article (read it online here) that ran in 2007, which detailed the fallout one married couple experienced when the husband become obsessed with the online fantasy role-playing game Second Life, and specifically another female player in it. In fact, the man spent hours and hours online and eventually married the woman in game, coming to amass an entirely new virtual life separate from reality. Certainly makes for interesting fodder, but I wonder what direction Verbinski will take it.

According to Variety, Verbinski will direct the project, with Steven Knight (of Eastern Promises) writing the script. I'd ordinarily say that this could lend itself to a romantic comedy, but Verbinski and Knight's backgrounds don't exactly lean in that direction. I'd also venture to say it might turn out as a thriller, possibly wherein the real life wife or virtual wife act out, but that may just be my horror reflex. It's probably safe to say it won't go down a documentary-like path as with Second Skin from earlier this year; that film dealt with the same gaming obsessed subject matter. Does the project even sound interesting?

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Kail

Not as interesting as when two people met online in Phantasy Star Online for Dreamcast and decided to have their wedding IN the game, and the creator of the game was the minister.
Lady Aerin

It's not that uncommon a story, my brother's old girlfriend left him for someone she met in Second Life, and a couple I was living with broke up shortly before the girlfriend moved to Colorado to be with a guy she met on World of Warcraft. I'm just not sure it would make a terribly interesting movie. And @1: it's not at all uncommon for people who play an MMO together, whether they met through the game or otherwise, to have an in-game wedding so that their characters are also married. Several games even have rings and wedding attire for your character. It's only if that superseded a real life wedding that it would be weird.
Frame

These types of games are a trip. I once read about this couple somewhere in Asia that left their baby child to play World of Warcraft at some cyber cafe for several hours. The kid ended up dying. Ain't that a bitch?
crAziemutant

wow, some crazy shit happens to obsessed gamers. but #2, i think #1 was talking about they had a legal wedding in game, not meaning just characters. and #3, how the hell does a kid die from playing WOW for a few hours? doesn't he have the natural urge to get up and get some food? i mean, if i'm dying, i wouldn't stay to play a game. anyway, i'd probably go to see this. i wouldn't be first in line for midnight showing, but i'd probably go in to see it.
Frame

Read it again, #4. The PARENTS left their BABY CHILD in a crib. The BABY CHILD ended up dying of neglect because their PARENTS were playing WoW for several hours.