In yet another case of the film industry failing to fully understand the gaming community, it's been revealed by
Gore Verbinski that the reason behind his stepping down from his role as director on the shelved
Bioshock project was because of the studio's unwillingness to grant the expensive project the R-Rating it clearly needs. He told
Coming Soon;
"I couldn't really get past anybody that would spend the money that it would take to do it and keep an R rating... alternately, I wasn't really interested in pursuing a PG-13 version, because the R rating is inherent. Little Sisters and injections and the whole thing. I just wanted to really, really make it a movie where, four days later, youre still shivering and going, Jesus Christ! Its a movie that has to be really, really scary, but you also have to create a whole underwater world, so the price tag was high. We just didnt have any takers on an R-rated movie with that price tag.
Previously when the movie was gearing up for
Gore Verbinskito direct in 2008 the movie was budgeted at around
$160 million, a frightening total all things considered. A bloated budget that Universal eventually deemed way to high for an R-Rated video game adaptation, and the project was delayed so it could be majorly downsized. Verbinski left and 28 Weeks Later helmer
Juan-Carlos Fresnadillo replaced him
August 2009, probably impressed by his ability to make $18 million of 28 Weeks Later look like $80 million on screen. Verbinski, who did stay on as producer, updated the progress on the film last summer to
IGN;
Were working trying to make it. The problem with Bioshock was: R-rated movie, underwater, horror. Its a really expensive R-rated movie. So were trying to figure out a way working with Juan Carlos to get the budget down and still keep it so its true to the core audience, you know? The thing is it has to be R, a hard R. I think Bioshocks a rare one because its actually a great story. Me? I dont want to make movies based on videogames, but Bioshocks the one Oedipal, crazy kind of its just got really good bones, and were really trying to figure out a way to make it work.
But we've heard nothing since and Bioshock looks to have joined Halo, Metal Gear Solid, Gears of War and many other video game adaptations that are dead in the water.
Hollywood's increasingly negative attitude towards mature rated films has been well-documented, and it is a sad state of affairs when a dark, distinctly adult franchise such as Bioshock fails to get the green light in Tinseltown because of its directors inability to succumb to the greedy needs of its bloated beneficiaries. It is difficult to decipher whether this is a bigger blow for the gaming community, and those who are desperate to see at least one of their favourite gaming series being treated with a modicum of respect on the silver screen, or film-lovers, who by now are becoming sick and tired of the excessive censorship that is so prevalent throughout the industry.