BioShock Film Dies On Hollywood Vine Thanks To Ken Levine

Irrational Games co-founder Ken Levine, in an interview with Eurogamer, admitted it was his call to put the proposed BioShock movie to rest.

The picture was initially set to be directed by Pirates of the Caribbean filmmaker Gore Verbinski, but Universal reportedly got cold feet about greenlighting the movie with a $200 million budget, and instead asked Verbinski if he could shoot it with an $80 million budget. The filmmaker, according to Levine, balked at the idea.

Intacto director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was brought in last year to develop the BioShock movie, and Levine was faced with a tough decision. "They brought another director in, and I didn't really see the match there - and 2K's one of these companies that puts a lot of creative trust in people," said Levine. "So they said if you want to kill it, kill it. And I killed it."

Levine, who serves as the creative director on BioShock Infinite, added that BioShock's cinematic adventures may not be over. "It may happen one day, who knows, but it'd have to be the right combination of people."