The whole duality of role-playing games, where the player is something significantly different than his fictitious character, has been explored quite a few times in film, from action pieces to documentaries. As a former gamer, I have to say I have yet to really see the idea explored well though. I don’t have high hopes for the recently announced picture coming from Gore Verbiniski to do the job any better, particularly given the origins of the project.

According to Variety, Verbinski has attached his name to a project that will look at online fantasy role-playing based on a recent Wall Street Journal article. Verbinski plans to direct with Steven Knight (Eastern Promises) to script the movie.

The original article, penned by Alexandra Alter, looked at the fictional, musclebound online character of a man who, in the real world, is a 53-year-old chain-smoker with diabetes. See my disappointment? It doesn’t sound like a very complimentary piece, with a story that probably will play on the sad existence of the real life person who escapes from his physical impairments through the use of fantasy. I’m not saying that isn’t out there, but it’s another stigma to stick gamers with. We’re not all losers in the real world, escaping into a fantastical world. Some of us just like to play a game. Besides, wasn’t the impaired real person schtick done in that South Park episode, “Make Love, Not Warcraft?”

The untitled project will be set up at Universal under Verbinski’s Blind Wink Productions banner.