The Virtual Rabbit Hole Attracts Universal Studios and Director Gore Verbinski

Blockbuster director Gore Verbinsky of "The Ring" and "The Pirates of the Carribean" trilogy has signed on with Universal Studios for a movie project based on an August 2007 Wall Street Street Journal article about Second Life.

The original article details the life of one Ric Hoogestraat, an avatar who was at the time of the article a successful entrepreneur who was married to Tenaj Jackalope. The article went in depth in disecting the various dualities of Hoogestraat's life, such as the discrepency in his age (he appeared much younger and more athletic than his actual 53 year old RL version), and the conflict that his 6am-2am daily usage of Second Life strained his RL marriage.

Verbinski will produce with Alain Chatbat, Stephanie Danan, and Sarah Shepard of WAM Films. The project takes root at the studio through Verbinski's U-based Blind Wink Productions. Stephen Knight, writer of "Eastern Promises", is set to do the script. Verbinski is currently working on a remake of the 2006 Korean movie "The Host" for Universal.