FableForge's Foundlings #12: Gore Verbinski will direct BIOSHOCK

Lots of people in Hollywood have been itching to make a "Bioshock" movie pretty much since last August, as I wrote on here a few months ago.

Finally, that interest has turned to reality. Universal has struck a
deal with Take-Two to make the "Bioshock" movie. "Pirates of the
Caribbean" helmer Gore Verbinski will direct and produce. "Aviator" and
"Star Trek: Nemesis" screenwriter John Logan will adapt.

If you haven't read it yet, get all the details in my story, which runs in tomorrow's Daily Variety and is already online. There
are a lot of details there about the financial terms, how it's
connected to the "Halo" movie, the key players, how the deal came
together, etc., that I won't repeat here. Seriously, just read it.

For Cut Scene readers, however, I have more. Are you wondering how
Verbsinski is going to treat your beloved "Bioshock?" Why he wanted to
make it into a movie? How much he's collaborating with the game's
creative director Ken Levine? I got on the phone with him today to get
you guys some answers. Enjoy, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Me: How did this come about? What first got you interested in "Bioshock?"

Gore Verbsinski: I was hanging out a lot with Ken
Levine talking about gaming in general and I heard from Ken directly
that they were thinking about making a movie.

Of all the games out there, I think "Bioshock" is the one that's the
most engaging. I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that's
cleverly unveiled to players is brimming with cinematic potential.

Me: It's pretty obvious that the game has some
amazing visuals that might look great in a movie. What about the story?
Do you want to carry that over as well?

GV: 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.

Me: Given all the effects that might might be involved, do you see this movie being as big and epic as "Pirates of the Caribbean?"

GV: I don’t think it'll be on that scale. Of
course, with "Bioshock" there are no locations I can go to. We have to
build it. We'll cleverly
use matte paintings and all the technology we have to achieve a great
deal of
scale without actually building everything.

It's a much more intimate story than "Pirates." Although its an adventure, it’s a dramatic adventure. I see it more along the
lines of "Blade Runner."

Me: You obviously have a relationship with Ken Levine. How involved do you expect him to be with the film?

GV: Right now I'm talking a lot with John Logan
about it. But Ken and I speak on a regular basis in
terms of what characters we feel are working well and where he feels
things should be different in a movie. This is a great asset to pick
up the phone and call. He has been very open to it. I look forward to
continuing that
relationship.

Me:
The game has some very disturbing moments that present moral choices to
the player in the form of the Little Sisters. How much of that do you
want to present in the film?

GV: I think we'll go right up to the edge with the Little Sisters. I don’t want to soften it to the
point where the core audience feels betrayed. At the same time, the gameplay is completely
different than it will be for an audience watching.

The movie audience’s imagination
is a lot more graphic if you let them imagine it. We'll have to be really clever
with that.

Me: So given that, do you expect the movie would be rated R just as the game was M?

GV: We're prepared to make it an R-rated movie. I
don’t intuitively see it as PG-13. The content and the graphic nature
of the story itself is smarter
than that. It's not for young kids.

The utopian references and the way the characters and world are drawn in that
delightfully inspired Jules Verne and Ayn Rand style places the film in a more elevated
realm. It's the realm of a graphic novel. It has to have that edge.

There's sort of that "Manchurian Candidate" psychological element
in there as well.

Me: So should we expect to see a lot the same settings from the game?

GV: I hope we can take it to the next level. It's one thing that I think probably will change for
the better. But only in the sense that in gameplay, everything's smaller because you have to build it all so players
physically do things like ascend stairs. In a film we have time cuts. So we can make the places
a little more vast and less claustrophobic

Me: Any thoughts on how you'll make the Big Daddys? Will they be CG created or can you make costumes?

GV: We could go either way. Typically when you get
too burdened with
animatronics, it slows down filming, especially knowing what we can do
these days with computers. That being said, there's no substitute
for an actor reacting. It's always a delicate
balance. We'll probably end up with a hybrid.

Me: So is this the next project you'll be working on? When do you anticipate starting?

GV: I'll be starting to work on it immediately as soon as we get a script that's worthy. We'll then move
actively into pre-production. I wouldn’t put a time schedule on it so much as to say I'm jumping in with a
full commitment.

Me: Will you be talking to the folks developing
"Bioshock 2?" Do you see any crossover between the two or are you
focused on the first game?

GV: The only crossover will be ensuring that we don’t do anything destructive to the IP.

Me: Since it's a first person game, we don't get to
know the protagonist that well in the game. What are your thoughts on
the main character of the film?

GV: I think ultimately he has to do with the
concept of free will. We will be designing him on that idea. It will be
a character who adamantly believes he does have free will.

Me: You recently spoke at D.I.C.E. and seem to be
getting very interested in videogames in general. Besides the
"Bioshock" film, are you interested in moving the other direction and
getting more involved in making games?

GV: I’m continually fascinated with videogames as
interactive entertainment: this idea that the audience is the
protagonist. I think there is a whole form
of narrative ready to be born.

It has been fun talking to different designers, going to Blizzard,
meeting Ken. I hope to make it up to Valve. "Portal" is one of my
favorites. For now, it's just
an open dialogue about how far we can push this thing.