Verbinski Trades Pirates for Bioshock

Director Gore Verbinski has told Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer he will not helm a fourth installment of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise, per VARIETY.

The film is in development for a 2010 projected release, and star Johnny Depp is onboard. Whether this means the pic will not get greenlit as a result is still up in the air.

"I had a fantastic time bringing PIRATES to life, and I am eternally grateful to Jerry, Johnny and the rest of the creative and production team," Verbinski said. "I'm looking forward to all of us crossing paths again in the future."

Verbinski is working with Depp on RANGO, a CG-animated project at Paramount Pictures, which is set for a March 2011 release. He's also focusing in on BIOSHOCK, an adaptation of the videogame at Universal with a John Logan script. Verbinski is likely to direct that project.

The director's Universal-based Blind Wink Productions is developing several other features, including CLUE, based on the Hasbro board game and a drama based on a WALL STREET JOURNAL article about online RPGs and the affect they have on the real lives of their players. EASTER PROMISES writer Steven Knight is working on the latter.