The costly big screen adaptation of BioShock in the works by Universal and Take-Two has come to a halt after the budget reportedly skyrocketed to $160 million. First announced last May, the BioShock movie is presently in pre-production, with director of movies "The Ring" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" slated to direct the film and written by John Logan, the screenplay developer of blockbusters like Gladiator and The Aviator.

A Universal Pictures spokesperson has confirmed that the plug hasn't been pulled on the project. They went on to say that the film is currently in extended pre-production, so the studio and production can look at potential alternate shooting locations, available tax credits, foreign exchange rates and other elements that might assist in creating the film at a reasonable budget.