Gore Verbinski Jumps the Pirates 4 Ship, Focuses on Bioshock

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on April 8, 2009

As you may have read, Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski has a lot of films on his plate. In addition to the very obvious fourth Pirates movie, Verbinski has also been attached to half-a-dozen other projects, everything from a big screen remake of Clue to a drama based on a Wall Street Journal article about a man whose marriage begins to erode after he becomes immersed in the world of Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming. And of course, as any gamer will tell you, Verbinski is also eying an adaptation of the popular game Bioshock. It is as if the man is trying to match Guillermo Del Toro’s pending filmography milestones step-for-step. Its annoying, if you ask me, and we need some clarity.

As it turns out, Variety has provided a bit of clarity this morning, reporting that Verbinski has informed Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer that he is no longer interested in helming Pirates 4, which is currently in development. Even though he’s created a trilogy of Pirates films that have grossed over $2.6 billion dollars, Verbinski has spent the past six years of his life on the franchise, and as many a man has found out — 6 years with any lady can be tough.

Verbinski will now focus on the other projects on his list, most notably Bioshock. According to Variety, the John Logan scripted video game adaptation will likely be the next project that he directs. Verbinski is currently directing Rango, a CG-animated film for Paramount Pictures, which features Johnny Depp as the voice of the title character. That film is likely to hit theaters in March 2011, leaving the timetable for Bioshock in question.

Personally, my vote would go to Bioshock if I had any say whatsoever in Verbinski’s directorial plans. They can find someone else to make another Pirates movie, but I’ve long felt that Verbinski is perfect to adapt the very unique and potentially visually stunning Bioshock. For once, it is an adaptation that gamers might be able to get excited about.

Do you think that Verbinski should make Bioshock or Pirates 4 next?

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