The BioShock movie project seems to be having a rough time lately. Variety is reporting that Gore Verbinski, who has helmed the Pirates of the Caribbean and who has a deep love for videogames, is no longer in charge of directing the movie based on the 2K title. Apparently, his replacement is Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who has directed 28 Weeks Later, the zombie-powered sequel to 28 Days Later.

It also seems that Verbinski is still the producer on the project and to have relinquished the director role because of schedule conflicts. The game was initially set to be filmed in the United States but a drive to reduce costs, which are reported to have risen to about 160 million dollars, means that the movie will now be shot in overseas locations.

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo still needs to be confirmed in his role as director by Take Two, which maintains control of the intellectual property it initially created and can vet the director of the movie.

BioShock appears to be one of the videogame to movie projects that Universal is determined to see through and actually release, unlike the equally high profile Halo movie project that was set to be produced by Peter Jackson and directed by South African wonder boy Neill Blomkamp, and which has not become a reality.

The BioShock movie could be released at some point in late 2010 or 2011, if more changes to the team are not made. At the moment, there are no details related to the actual story that the project should tell, apart from the fact that it will be set in Rapture, the underwater libertarian utopia that also serves as a back drop for the videogame. Universal will be well served by creating a story, which takes on the major themes of the videogame while also offering another perspective on the events of BioShock.