Yep, that's indeed very official, 2K Games has signed an agreement with Universal Pictures to turn
BioShock into a flick. Why nobody did that with
System Shock 2 which had more depth storyline wise? Who knows?
The press release issued by 2K Games today states that Gore Verbinski (
Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy) will direct and produce the movie while John Logan (
Gladiator,
The Aviator and
Sweeney Todd) is in talks to do the screenplay.
No other terms of the agreement were disclosed at this time (especially not the money involved nor the release period planned -- but well for a big project from the beginning of the writing to a movie premiere it takes an average of 18 months so you're warned). As for the possible cast, the choice is not done and everything remains possible.
The rest of the press release is a blatant compilation of marketing stereotypes stating how 2K Games "has the best franchise in the world that even Hollywood power players are interested in..." blah blah... I spare you that... it goes over 4 or 5 paragraphs, is lengthier than the mere movie deal announcement itself which really takes 2 paragraphs and nobody really wants to hear about that; well at least not me. Amusing that they call
BioShock a "franchise" though as even considering that it is the spiritual successor of
System Shock 2, it's really only one game; unless they included the "still at the early development stage"
BioShock 2 in the count.
Of course one can imagine that Take-Two (the mothership of 2K Games) is delighted because it's a way better than other to tell Electronic Arts that they can stuff their acquisition proposal where the sun never shines (for those who followed the whole "EA wants to buy Take-Two" thing).
