The entertainment publication Variety reports that Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski may be working to bring the Second Life virtual world to the big screen…although perhaps not in a way that would please Linden Labs. According to the paper, Verbinski and Universal have acquired the rights to a 2007 Wall Street Journal article detailing the case of a 53 year-old, married man who spent as much as 20 hours a day in Second Life, where he played the role of a buffed-out entrepreneur…with his own virtual relationship.
Verbinski apparently plans to direct the film; Steven Knight (screenwriter for Eastern Promises and Dirty Pretty Things) will write the screenplay. The film is expected to focus on immersive role-playing in virtual worlds and the negative impacts on the real lives of players.
Verbinski is currently working on the upcoming film adaption of the video game Bioshock.