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Verbinski Says a Hard R BioShock Movie is Still in the Works

by Alex Billington
July 4, 2010
Source: IGN

Wait, wait, wait - the BioShock movie will be hard R?! Yep, that's what they're hoping for. We didn't catch this when it first hit, but I thought it was good news anyway. IGN talked with filmmaker Gore Verbinski last week (at the same event for Rango we attended) and got a quick update on the status of the BioShock movie, but more importantly he spoke about how it "has to be R, a hard R." A video game movie that's hard R? I don't think Universal will ever make this movie (they already canceled Verbinski's original version due to budget constraints) especially after the mediocre performance of the video game movie Prince of Persia.

It was announced last August that Pirates helmer Gore Verbinski would no longer be directing BioShock, only producing. Instead, 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo landed the job, but then put the project on the backburner to direct Intruders instead. And as for whether Prince of Persia will have any impact on it, Verbinski thinks it won't. "No, I think BioShock's a rare one because it's actually a great story." I agree, but I don't think Universal will recognize that, they'll be more concerned about why Prince of Persia failed than how this could be a big success, if don't correctly. As for its status, here's what Verbinski said:

"We're working trying to make it. The problem with BioShock was: R-rated movie, underwater, horror. It's a really expensive R-rated movie," he explained. "So we're trying to figure out a way working with [director] Juan Carlos [Fresnadillo] to get the budget down and still keep so it's true to the core audience, you know? The thing is it has to be R, a hard R."

The more I hear from Verbinski, the more I've grown to like him, he knows what to do with this video game adaptation and I'm at least glad he's still producing, because maybe that means we'll eventually get the hard R BioShock movie I know we all we want to see. "We don't want to dumb it down, we don't want to make it PG-13. We want to keep it really edgy, and it's a huge bill," Verbinski insisted. Hearing that is music to my ears. Let's hope the project doesn't get even more cut down like that by Universal. And you know what, I'm fine with waiting a few more years if that's what it will take to get this made the way Verbinski wants it.

Since it might be delayed for a while, is there a chance they could eventually lose Fresnadillo as the director? Probably not. "We're really down the road with Juan Carlos and right now it's really a budget thing and how to keep the integrity and keep it a Hollywood movie because it could balloon. It's a lot. Our first budget was extraordinarily high and we're working on it." So there we go. Stay tuned for more updates on BioShock. For now it sounds like there's not much we will hear about it until after Fresnadillo finishes shooting Intruders.

Find more posts: Movie News, Opinions

35 Comments

Yes!! I hope this pull this off.

discojellyfish on Jul 4, 2010

Gore Verbinski is my hero! Count me in!

Lincoln on Jul 4, 2010

yeah,this is gonna be so fucking cool. wouldn't mind seeing the god of war trilogy,gears of war & halo all get the movie treatment.

deadpool 72 on Jul 4, 2010

-SPOILER- It's an underwater horror/shooter involving humans genetically altered to fight a mini-civil war within the underground city. Also, little girls are "harvested" and other little girls are trained to do the harvesting. It's a bit like the movie Pandorum in terms of normal humans vs. altered humans. Honestly, it wouldn't be bioshock unless this was a hard R. Everyone should have understood that it would inevtiably be hard R. Any executive types from the movie studios who thought otherwise clearly didn't see the material the movie is supposed to be based on. With that said, I didn't like Bioshock at all. Playing through the whole game and hoping it would somehow get better and it never did. The back-tracking and bland environments made the game tedious. The story, however, is pretty interesting. I would have rather read a book on this than played such a tedious game.

Chris H. on Jul 4, 2010

Prince of persia is actually made the most money of video games that became movie either the debut weekend or week. I forget which i read it was. Prince didnt do to well state side but world wide it out performed tomb raiders. Its funny alot of movies that somewhat flop in the states do terrific in europe. Like Kevin costners Waterworld made alot of money outside the states

yep yep on Jul 4, 2010

yeah but the game is full of distrubing images, drug use, nonstop profanity, blood and gore. It should be rated R. Then again, fanboys, do we need a bioshock movie?

Eli on Jul 4, 2010

The problem with video game movies is that they're PG13. Verbinski has the right idea to not dumb it down.

Al on Jul 4, 2010

Silent Hill was hard R and amazing

DoomCanoe on Jul 4, 2010

AWESOME. now all we need is that wentworth miller rumor put to rest and this will be epic.

Logan on Jul 4, 2010

I'm not sure if we need this or not... but if we DO need it, we need it rated R, and we need it hella awesome. Make it so!

dRailer on Jul 4, 2010

just don't follow the game's plot, creat a story within the universe, like a Splicer and his fight for survival, or follow Ryan, Tenebaum, or Fontaine.

Xerxex on Jul 4, 2010

Damn xerx took the words outta my mouth....just use the universe. At the same time though, part of me doesnt want this to happen, its such an original awesome game. I dont wanna see another amazing game get ruined by hollywood.

Cody w on Jul 4, 2010

I agree with you Cody, I'd rather it stay away from the silver screen, but if it has t happen as dRailer said it needs to be R.

Xerxex on Jul 4, 2010

jiojiojp

istiaqueis on Jul 4, 2010

sounds like suicide and a money loosing campaign waiting to happen

nelson on Jul 4, 2010

@cody, I know what you're talking about. It could be worst, Thank God Uwe Boll isn't around near this project.

dex on Jul 4, 2010

i hope that they can get the budget down and take the District 9 route and have a low budget film it outside of the U.S and stay true to the story, it's characters, The Tone, And The City of Rapture in fact make big daddy real and scary. give little sister very own story real and get both ILM to do the visual effects and animation and K.N.B. Effects Group special make-up effects

CJ on Jul 4, 2010

didn't i tell you people that bioshock will still be Rated-R all the way 100%. hahahaha

david on Jul 4, 2010

Mark my words, this will suck. The game was ok, but nothing amazing.

Poontoong on Jul 4, 2010

Prince of Persia Worldwide box office is $314,124,000 That's no a fail

CM on Jul 4, 2010

@19 money doesn't make the movie

DoomCanoe on Jul 4, 2010

I agree with you DoomCanoe...your #8 comment, eventhough your #20 comment is valid as well, given to the right director a game to film adaptation can work.

Xerxex on Jul 4, 2010

Bioshock is a rated M game, 17+ so it should be at least a hard R to keep it real, but honestly I don't think they should make a movie of it because if it's a fluke it would really piss me off because Bioshock is the best game and story line of my life. I would rather them remake the game if anything, with better graphics and whatnot because atleast then, it's the same story just alot.. better haha I've been inspired by Mr.Ryan's antics and would he truly settle for poor finances? I mean built a city underwater for gods sack to escape people like universal cutting away at what was necessary. It would be ironic to not choose the impossible with this movie, and it should be hours long with a single POV the entire time!

Will on Jul 4, 2010

it would suck for this to end up like DOOM

Will on Jul 4, 2010

Crappy game with a crappy storyline. This movie is destined to fail.

VOLD on Jul 5, 2010

#25 Your opinion sucks.

Cody w on Jul 5, 2010

yeah VOLD if you hate Bioshock so much why are you here? methinks troll. methinks I'm correct.

Xerxex on Jul 5, 2010

"What is the difference between a man and a parasite? A man builds. A parasite asks 'Where is my share?' A man creates. A parasite says, 'What will the neighbors think?' A man invents. A parasite says, 'Watch out, or you might tread on the toes of God..." The quotes of the game need to be in the film, hell the quotes bascially made the game. Without the writers of the game writing the script for the film it will be a travesty. It all comes down to compassion with video-game-to-film projects, without compassion for the stroy it becomes a hollow shell. Now would you kindly have a splicer crushed by a Big Daddy in the film?

Xerxex on Jul 5, 2010

No xerx, not crushed, drilled against a wall while the little sister watches...mmmmyeeeess yeeeess, thats what I want. Also the whole first 10 minutes in the bubble submarine when Ryan is talking, yeah that all needs to be in the script.

Cody w on Jul 6, 2010

Now that would be awesome Cody, and perhaps a group of Splicer's bringing down a Big Daddy?

Xerxex on Jul 6, 2010

I'm actually afraid the filmmakers (Gore included) will get TOO caught up in the "hard-R" creep-and-gore factor, and forget the fact that there's a fascinating sci-fi story to be told here, with layers upon layers of important and relevant commentary on human nature, social structures, morality, creativity, intellectualism, etc. And so many narrative arcs just hinted at by the backstory could be gold if mined correctly. I'm afraid of it being TOO much like the game. I want it to strike out on its own - dig into how Rapture was created, what it was like before the fall, the height of Ryan's reign, etc.

equustel on Jul 6, 2010

This is gonna be the same as the game and after if they make a Bioshock 2 THATS GONNA BE EPIC ENDINGS!!!!

Mark cook on Jul 6, 2010

Looking forward ot it!! it could perfectly be the best movie in.. well, perhaps saying it would be the best in history would be exaggerated, but it surely would be the best of the decade!

Arfesreaper on Aug 17, 2010

To be honest, I'm not sure if I should be looking forward to the Bioshock movie or not. I feel like they're going to "embelish" it to make it seem better than the 2007 version, by adding unnecessary props that have nothing to do with the storyline. If I do happen to go and see this movie it better be worth every penny. It seems like every time producers start to get involved with making a movie based off an award winning video game, it ends up just ruining the whole purpose.

Ressa-bear on Jan 10, 2011

they should be able to make the movie a hard R because everyone who has played the game will be much older when it comes out...

Adam Van93 on Mar 1, 2011

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