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Gore Verbinski Pulls a Terrence Howard

The Daily Bonehead Move / Dustin Rowles

Trade News | April 8, 2009 | Comments (36)

Yesterday, we took another opportunity to belittle poor, talented, misguided Terrence Howard for doing whatever it was that he did that got him booted from Iron Man 2 in favor of Don Cheadle. Today, we learn that Gore Verbinski — who directed the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, which fetched $2.6 billion worldwide — has decided that he doesn’t want to direct the fourth installment of the series.

Good for Verbinski, right? He’s putting his foot down, and he saying: I don’t care how much money you throw at me, this franchise became creatively bankrupt the minute Johnny Depp started swinging on vines and running from aborigines. That’s right: Verbinski has decided to make a movie that means something, damnit. Something he can be proud of. Something deep, and profound, and complex, and … what’s that?

A video-game movie? Awww, you’ve gotta be shitting me. Gore Verbinski is turning down wads of cash in order to make a video-game movie? It’s called Bioshock, and I’m sure the gamers are intimately familiar with it. It’s a first person shooter game that follows a plane-crash survivor who must navigate an underwater city and fight off mutated beings and mechanical drones.

Great idea, Verbinski. Because video-game adaptations are always so well received, commercially and critically. But I’m sure your the one that’s going to break the streak, man. You’re going to be the guy who finally makes a video-game movie worth watching. You: The director of Weather Man.

Good luck with that, buddy.

Meanwhile, Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp are still developing the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, although it has not officially been greenlit.


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Comments

Dude made a successful (and good) movie about a frickin' Disney ride. I guess I'm saying... you never know. Maybe he'll surprise us.

It's a pretty damn compelling story, too.

Posted by: Skewicide Blonde at April 8, 2009 10:49 AM

Bioshock was already a movie in video-game form. I have said this four or five times but goddamn it, I will keep repeating it.

Go Watch It. Or the high-def version, even better. There isn't anything that needs to be altered, changed, added to or switched to make this any more cinematic than it already fucking is. And everyone who played it already knows the entire story. And anyone who didn't probably won't go see it in the theatres.

It was very, very well done. Even with Zero Punctuation complaining that it was just the retread of a very good PC game, it was still an amazingly detailed and beautiful game.

Posted by: twig at April 8, 2009 10:53 AM

1-Weather Man was entertaining.

2-No one thought a movie based on theme park ride would be any good either.

Posted by: returnofthesmith at April 8, 2009 10:53 AM

Shorter bitching:

All Gore Verbinski needs to do to 'direct' a Bioshock movie is write "A Gore Verbinski production" on a copy of Bioshock.

Posted by: twig at April 8, 2009 11:00 AM

twig is correct. bioshock would make an incredible movie, except that that would be completely redundant. im a lot more excited about bioshock 2 than i would be about the bioshock movie, and i loved that goddamn game.

Posted by: phaedawg at April 8, 2009 11:06 AM

Bioshock had such a great storyline and was so visually beautiful and unique that I think this is great. I mean, at some point I think you have to look at that pile of pirate movie earned money on your desk and wonder if you really need that much more.

And even the trailer for Bioshock (the game) makes me want to see it as a movie. I mean look at this shit! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrqfPG4ZcAA

It's so morally ambigous and visually FUCKING WEIRD. If Verbinski was able to make my grade nine life perfection with a movie based on a Disney ride, I think he'll do well with Bioshock, but that's just me.

Posted by: Marcela at April 8, 2009 11:09 AM

If it weren't for Public Enemies, I would have given up on you by now, Mr. Depp.

And I have a cast of your HEAD, so I'm really serious this time.

Posted by: Samanthrax at April 8, 2009 11:10 AM

Bioshock was a very good game, but twig is right. Anybody who would want to see it has most likely played the game already. And nobody else even cares.

When they were making the first Resident Evil movie I thought it would be pretty good.

I was DEAD wrong!

Posted by: annoyingmouse at April 8, 2009 11:11 AM

I loved The Weather Man. Nic Cage was perfect for the part, and you can't go wrong with Hope Davis.

Posted by: Sofía at April 8, 2009 11:13 AM

OMG, dude, this is cause for CELEBRATION! Because Bioshock is mostly story-focused and it has a legitimate director attatched, Bioshock could be the first truly great video game movie! It's got HUGE potential!

Posted by: ChristianH at April 8, 2009 11:15 AM

Rowles why are you trying to break Terrence Howard’s balls, you don’t have any idea what went on behind close doors during the negotiations. Shouldn’t you be somewhere fixing Kevin Smith’s lunch?

Posted by: Pookie at April 8, 2009 11:19 AM

im a lot more excited about bioshock 2

... and that dual platform compatibility in the initial release, hell yes. (Heathen PS3 owner here.)

Posted by: twig at April 8, 2009 11:20 AM

Gore, would you kindly leave Bioshock alone?!?

Posted by: Steven Lloyd Wilson at April 8, 2009 11:26 AM

I just don't like what's being implied about Disney rides.

Posted by: Jay at April 8, 2009 11:26 AM

"Heathen PS3 owner here"

Slight topic change: I'm not a PS3 owner, but I'm willing to reconsider for Heavy Rain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCClcsD3GcU


I mean, if we're talking video games turned into movies...

Posted by: annoyingmouse at April 8, 2009 11:28 AM

How much do you want to bet he's going to throw away the old-style 50'sish stylings (just like Fallout...so awesome) and make it some secret underwater genetics facility, all blue steel and white tile. I can taste my vomit already.

Posted by: Snath at April 8, 2009 11:35 AM

If Verbinski fucks up Bioshock, I'm going to wear his legs as my own personal pair of leather pants.

YOU HEAR ME, VERBINSKI?

Posted by: Jaci at April 8, 2009 12:19 PM

It'll blow. And I say that as someone who genuinely loved Bioshock. But I've accepted long ago that there will never be a good video game movie. I don't even care.

Posted by: George at April 8, 2009 12:20 PM

There will never be a good video game movie, because Hollywood will never understand that there doesn't need to be adaptations of video games.

It's not a book, where everything takes place inside the mind of the reader. Video games are already interactive movies, sometimes with scripts, plots, and characters that rival anything Hollywood is currently producing.

If you want to see Bioshock on the big screen, go to Rent-A-Center and get a 60" plasma for the weekend and play the game in the dark.

Posted by: Snath at April 8, 2009 12:32 PM

Bioshock gives me a nerd-boner.

Posted by: dave at April 8, 2009 12:52 PM

But I’m sure your the one that’s going to break the streak, man.

*you're*

That is all.

Posted by: SilverDeb at April 8, 2009 1:00 PM

If you want to see Bioshock on the big screen, go to Rent-A-Center and get a 60" plasma for the weekend and play the game in the dark.

I have done that (well not 60''). And it was amazing. Seriously, a Bioshock movie is unnecessary.

Posted by: jM at April 8, 2009 1:28 PM

annoyingmouse;

thanks for that clip. I hadn't heard much about Heavy Rain. Looks like it has potential.

Posted by: twig at April 8, 2009 1:37 PM

I'm not sure about that!! All my hot and sincere friends on ____Tallconnect.com___ are talking about this!! BTW, it's the place where hot models and sex y young men;and handsome folks with sensu al chick s meet and mingle! You may wanna check it out!LOL

Posted by: cathy at April 8, 2009 1:37 PM

Bioshock was the first game that made my jaw drop at the level of production design. I realize video games don't have "production design" in the sense that a film does, and hence that about says it all.

The atmosphere, the music, the myriad of little details in the sets...if done well, it could make a damn good movie. I agree with the above comments that it's not "necessary," but if we're going to be subjected to video game movies, why the hell not adapt the one that is the most cinematic? You can deride video games all you like, but they are coming more and more into their own as a true form of art and storytelling device.

That all said, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were lame. I suppose I'll be cautiously optimistic, since Verbinski did creepy fairly well in The Ring.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at April 8, 2009 3:15 PM

Here is what a Bioshock movie would have to do to make it worthy of the narrative the game ALREADY delivers (as several people have mentioned before)

1) A dark and hostile setting amongst styled 50's era design and themes
2) A protagonist faced with some difficult choices after finding himself trapped in Rapture, the underwater utopia
3) Little deviation from the antagonists faced in the game. I think any drastic changes would ultimately ruin the experience. Big Daddys, Little Sisters, the plasmid-induced-crazies, they'd need to closely resemble what made the game so eerie in the first place
4) A progression of the plot similar to the game, where plot points and tidbits of information were gleaned from the many tape recorders littered about Rapture, as well as the occaisional encounter with semi-sane individuals
5) The crossbow (way too cool to leave out)

Other than that, a movie version would be ultimately lacking in what made the game so visceral: choice. You could be the merciless unstoppable walking bloodbath if you wanted, or you could be sneaky and hack an army of flying machinegun bots to protect you. Most importantly, you could save the Little Sisters, or you could harvest them for their ADAM and damn yourself. How the movie would address this is what I would like to know.

Posted by: danny at April 8, 2009 5:12 PM

"Gore, would you kindly leave Bioshock alone?!?"

I see what you did there.

Posted by: danny at April 8, 2009 5:14 PM

Ever since I heard of this I was hoping they would do the movie as a stand alone prequel. My idea; Bioshock: The Fall of Rapture. I know we get tidbits into how it all went down during the game but I really wanted to see that 50s art deco all shiny and new instead of grunged up and covered in Splicer fluids. I wanted that for the game sequel too but alas it is not to be.

Spoiler alert for BioShock 2: you play the first Big Daddy 10 years after the first game and Rapture is even lovelier then it once was. As much as I loved the game I hope there's a bit more to it then a murder simulator this time around.

Posted by: TylerDFC at April 8, 2009 5:59 PM

I love Bioshock. I'm a bit of a gamer, and as far as storylines for video games go, sometimes (more recently anyway), they are well-thought out and very smart, whereas others are just half-baked thoughts that lead you, the character, to blow shit up.

Bioshock was brilliant. Even if you don't like video games, if you appreciate very elaborate and complex stories, it's definitely worth the effort.

With that said, Verbinski did a very good job of showing detail and creative appreciation with the Pirates trilogy. Bioshock relies very heavily on look and tone, so maybe Verbinski won't fuck it up.

If I see the "Big Daddy" character portrayed as just a man in a submarine suit, I'm setting theaters on fire.

Posted by: Riley at April 8, 2009 6:40 PM

Let me be the latest gaming nerd to bow at the altar of BioShock. That game rocked in so many ways -- the mood it creates, the voice acting that puts you there, the design, the look, etc.

Can a movie adaptation work? Sure. BUT it has to be done in a really dark way. This isn't PG-13. This is R-rated stuff.

Posted by: Fredo at April 8, 2009 8:03 PM

No...no...not Bioshock!

Seriously, that game's so good that it negates any possible need for a movie. A movie will just fall short in every possible way. Danny's right on about the games themes of choice and consequences, and I don't really see a way to be able to integrate that effectively into a movie, but I'll wait and see.

If someone tries a "Half Life" movie though I'm going out and cracking skulls.

Posted by: Klamsy at April 8, 2009 9:05 PM

Quick question for the gamers, should I buy bioshock on the PC or the PS3? It's hard to tell with FPS?

Posted by: Will at April 8, 2009 10:48 PM

The only way to TRULY play an FPS is on a decent PC rig son.

Logitech G-Series keyboard + laser mouse.

/do it

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at April 9, 2009 7:52 AM

Whomever wrote this article is writing a review of a film that hasn't even started shooting. Congrats, douche, you got basically got paid for writing an article about NOTHING. I hope that this film materializes into something incredible, like the game, so this fag of a writer can find a different job. Fuck you, Dustin Rawles. What a dumb name.

Posted by: Deacon84 at April 9, 2009 9:59 AM

"Dustin Rawles. What a dumb name...."


Pffffft


Rawles is more of a tool...now, this other dude named Rowles? That's a dummy.

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at April 9, 2009 10:09 AM

A Bioshock movie is already redundant.

Look out Jeunet and Caro's "The City of Lost Children". But not the English dub, which is supremely retarded.

Ron Perlman rules my world.

Posted by: Nikopol at April 9, 2009 11:42 AM