BioShock movie gets budget cut, 'in a holding pattern'
by Ben Gilbert 
{ Apr 25th 2009 at 1:00PM }
Additionally, according to Variety's sources, some of the pre-production staff has been let go while the budget restructuring takes place. The studio (and Verbinski himself) have vowed to not allow the BioShock movie to succumb to the same fate as the perpetually on-again, off-again Halo film. As BioShock is one of the few games we could actually see making a really interesting film, we're hoping they're not just pulling our chain.
[Thanks, Aaron!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Maverick Saturn @ Apr 25th 2009 1:04PM
Yes, come to London, we'll give you a cuppa
Alvin_Rod @ Apr 25th 2009 1:15PM
...Mr. Bubbles?
CH3BURASHKA @ Apr 25th 2009 1:26PM
Argh... /facepalm
DBuck_Eye @ Apr 25th 2009 1:40PM
First Britain tries to steal the Super Bowl, then the Bioshock movie. Will their insatiable greed never be quelled?
Maverick Saturn @ Apr 25th 2009 3:10PM
Steal? Super Bowl? That came to London? Why?
DBuck_Eye @ Apr 26th 2009 12:52AM
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3065254
They haven't got it yet, but they're sure trying.
Maverick Saturn @ Apr 26th 2009 2:04AM
Who's 'they'? The British public or the sports governemnet? I don't think London people care for it that much
? @ Apr 25th 2009 1:42PM
It makes more sense to make a movie out of the US.. Its cheaper and u don't have to go thru all the permits a state requires.. new zealand should be a great spot also.. just ask Peter Jackson to make this movie..
Comtar @ Apr 25th 2009 2:00PM
"Universal are looking at possibly moving the currently in pre-production film to outside the US to "take advantage of a tax credit," allegedly looking at moving production to London from its current Los Angeles locale."
California is the worst state for business according to every research paper, we are ranking 50 out of 50 according to businesses. Our taxes are insane and go up almost every six months, and they talk about them going up even higher soon, and try to pass laws claiming if the taxes don't go up, babies and children will die, and people are stupid enough to keep passing them. I live in California, and sales tax in some areas are above 11%. I heard on the radio that only 5 productions are filming in Los Angeles, when about 5 years ago it was over 50 productions...
Thanks California for ruining just about everything. Perhaps if enough illegal immigrants enter the country, their combined weight will snap the San Andreas faultline and we will sink into the bottom of the ocean, if the Swine Flu doesn't kill us first.
That's enough soapboxing for me...
But hey, at least it will be cheap to film the Bioshock movie in Los Angeles when it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, it could almost be on-location...
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 25th 2009 4:31PM
You make hardly any sense. Taxes don't go up every six months. Unless your local taxes went up, taxes haven't gone up in 4 years.
There is no area with sales tax of 11%. There is not a single place with sales tax of even 10%.
http://www.boe.ca.gov/cgi-bin/rates.cgi
Your assertion that "every research paper" says California is the worst place for business is just a bald, incorrect assertion.
It does sound like California could be improved by losing a few people. Starting with you.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 25th 2009 4:35PM
One update, in the city list, South Gate is listed as 10.25%, but it is not present in the county list at all. I don't know quite what that means. I'm sure someone in South Gate knows though.
chispito @ Apr 25th 2009 8:08PM
@why
Comtar's main point is still quite valid: CA is widely considered the worst state to do business in, and that includes many film and TV productions. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Chief-Executive-Magazine-812755.html
PeaceTucan @ May 26th 2009 11:54AM
Comtar, you just powned everyone on the page hahahahaha
reebo @ Apr 25th 2009 2:29PM
Just don't make it shitty and get it fucking done
THE Ezio Auditore de Firenze (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ Apr 25th 2009 3:12PM
that's what she said?
Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 25th 2009 5:53PM
...what kind of girls do you hang out with??
Brucie_K @ Apr 25th 2009 8:26PM
Ah, yes. Good, old fun with scat... Oops, did I say that out loud? Let's get back on topic to prevent more awkwardness.
The budget for this movie has gone as high as a 160 million dollars. That's a lot a money.
Alex @ Apr 25th 2009 2:49PM
I don't want to watch this film until I'm assured it's good.
I can never look a Doom or Max Payne again
Tez @ Apr 25th 2009 3:02PM
At least Doom was kind of funny...
"SEMPER FI! MOTHERFUCKER!"
Neuromancer @ Apr 25th 2009 4:04PM
No offense but I wouldn't care if the sequel got its budget cut too.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 25th 2009 4:24PM
The Halo film was not perpetually on again, off again. It was on for a short bit and then has been off. Everything since then has sites like joystiq repeating info from wannabees and fans.
You could ask the company that holds the production rights if the movie has been on and off lately, except there isn't such a company. Which is more testament to the actual state of the Halo movie.
Ben Gilbert @ Apr 25th 2009 5:32PM
Maybe you could cite some examples of Joystiq sourcing information as fact from "wannabees and fans." Thanks for all your help!
why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 25th 2009 10:27PM
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/05/rumor-concept-art-from-halo-fall-of-reach-movie/
http://xbox.joystiq.com/2008/04/02/rumor-new-writer-takes-on-halo-movie-script/
The art and script were from wannabees, they were not commissioned by the IP holders.
tmmoore_nc @ Apr 25th 2009 4:49PM
I'm glad. Games should not crossover into movies and vice-versa.
Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 25th 2009 5:52PM
Why? Actually, videogames can make some really great movies. The only problem is that people who make videogame movies are idiots who think gamers only like explosions, 10-second trashy dialogue, and random sex appeal.
Actually one of the coolest things about that movie "Reign Over Me" (Adam Sandler in a serious role with Don Cheadle) was the metaphor that was created for Shadow of the Colossus.
tmmoore_nc @ Apr 25th 2009 6:19PM
Yes, they CAN be good, but 99% of them are garbage. The same thing with movies that have video game adaptations. 99% of them aren't worth playing.
? @ Apr 25th 2009 5:29PM
I think the best game to movie adaptation would be Assassins Creed.
? @ Apr 25th 2009 5:33PM
Directed by Frank Miller of course.. that man loves blood.. lol
Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 25th 2009 5:46PM
...and executive producer Michael Bay.
"OF COURSE there were explosions in medieval times."
Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 25th 2009 5:44PM
"Mr. Bubbles, where's your suit?"
"Andrew Ryan has some new budget cuts."
"So why are you wearing a purple speedo suit?"
Anticrawl @ Apr 25th 2009 6:03PM
Bioshock should have been a movie to begin with; I would have rather watched it than have to suffer through dealing with the mediocre gameplay.
WRE @ Apr 25th 2009 8:35PM
Boo! Mediocre compared to what, exactly?
Anticrawl @ Apr 25th 2009 8:47PM
The gameplay was a chore to anyone who had sense enough to see past the shine, smoke and mirrors on the surface. I had more fun in Soldier of Fortune for the 360 than Bioshock.
fred @ Apr 26th 2009 9:14AM
Mr. bubbles is so considerate and generous
UserDoesNotExist @ Apr 26th 2009 11:25AM
This is so weird. I posted a comment exactly like Anticrawl's (even up to using the words mediocre to describe the gameplay) but the commenting system ate it up.
Anyway, the problem with Bioshock (besides the objections that an anarcho-capitalist like myself has with the story, that's a totally different matter) is that as a game, it's just plain mediocre. It's yet another shooter. Not only that, but it's a dumbed down shooter with a limited weapons set. None of the guns are even remotely exciting. I'm not saying that in an "omg lazer beam pew pew pew" way, but most FPSs are able to make something as mundane as a shotgun exciting. Bioshock couldn't. Yes, there are multiple plasmids, but they fall into either the "fun but useless" or "boring but useful" category. The moral choice meant absolutely NOTHING. For a game that kept being billed as having deep moral choices, it was pathetic that the only moral choice they gave you ended up affecting nothing but the end movie, and both endings were pretty bad. Yes, the evil one was a bit cool, but it still didn't feel like you'd really accomplished anything. The enemy variety was pathetic. What were there, only 5 different enemy types or something like that? Only the Big Daddy fights were even remotely interesting, and you ended up doing those so many times in the same way every time that they got old fast. And all the bosses (with the exception of the last boss, which wasn't liked even by the game's hardcore) were just one of these 5 types only with a ton of health. There was very little in the way of set pieces. The only set piece I can remember is the one at the end of the demo, and that's probably only because it occured right near the part where Ryan talked to you for the first time ("Which one of the bitches sent you?") Say what you will about Halo, but every single Halo game has multiple memorable set pieces (and let's not even get started about that perfection which is known as Half-Life 2.) If even Halo, which from the sounds of things on message boards is a game made by knuckledraggers for knuckledraggers, can get set pieces right, why couldn't an "intellectual" game made by "intellectual" people like Bioshock do it?
The story, on the other hand, was top-notch, even though I had objections here and there as mentioned before. Many of the scenes I still remember (TOO SYMMETRIC!!!!!) and to this day, I still have some Andrew Ryan quotes in my e-mail sig. Bioshock would have been an amazing movie. Honestly, it could have even been as big as the Matrix as a semi-deep sci-fi movie. It's a pretty mediocre game, and having a great story does not excuse mediocre gameplay. It is the responsibility of the designer to choose the proper medium that fits the subject matter, and game was the worst possible one for Bioshock. The fact that the game led you by the hand, then laughed at you for being led by the hand, was pathetic. I remember actually trying to not help Atlas early on, because I didn't trust him, and I tryied to find some way to follow another path. But I couldn't. So the game basically insulted me because of its own built-in limitations. Nice job, guys.
Gilmore08 @ Apr 26th 2009 2:39PM
We're going to London for a tax cut? Kinda funny since America was founded by leaving England and all of its taxes. My how things have changed...what's happened to our country?
NOT ME @ Apr 26th 2009 7:41PM
dont worry im working on another boston tea party right now!