[cross-posted at Liberty & Power]
The Atlas Shrugged film project, which had recently slid back into development hell, seems to be crawling back out. (Conical hat tip to AICN.)
Also note the reference to The Changeling, the film Jolie plans to do before Atlas; that’s a J. Michael Straczynski script.
Roderick, I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s a recently released PC game that Randians might be interested in examining. The game is called Bioshock, and the lead developer himself describes it as “an Objectivist shooter game.”
I haven’t actually played it myself, but my brother has. From what he’s told me of the plot, it sound like Atlas Shrugged if it had be co-written by H.P. Lovecraft. American industrialist and former Soviet citizen Andrew Ryan (wonder who that’s a reference to) gets fed up with society and decides to build a self-contained capitalist haven under the Atlantic Ocean. He calls it “Rapture,” and invites only the best minds to come live and work in that environment.
The resident’s technology progresses and they begin experimenting on themselves, finding methods to transcend their humanity and become greater. Naturally, mutations occur and the whole colony is overrun with dangerous and insane transhumans. The player’s character arrives in the midst of this crisis, his plane crashing in the ocean over Rapture.
I’m not sure how significant this is from an objectivist perspective, since I’ve never read anything by Ayn Rand. I figured I should bring it to the attention of someone more qualified. It’s certainly spurred a debate among gamers, and young people in general, who are probably not Rand’s typical audience. That alone warrants an informed review, I think.