Universal Pictures and filmmaker Gore Verbinski (The Pirates of the Carribean series, The Ring, The Mexican) have bought the rights to use a 2007 Wall Street Journal article they plan on developing for the basis of a film about the online fantasy role-playing world known as Second Life.

Verbinski is set to direct and Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Amazing Grace, Dirty Pretty Things) will pen the script.

The WSJ article by Alexandra Alter focuses on Ric Hoogestraat, a married man who spends as many as 20 hours a day on a computer living as a thriving, muscle head entrepreneur in the virtual reality Second Life. In reality, he is a diabetic, chain-smoking 53-year-old. His Wife, Sue, discovers that not only is he lying about his appearance, but he’s also married to someone else in the online world, shedding light on his double life.

Verbinski will produce with Alain Chabat, Stephanie Danan and Sarah Shepard of WAM Films.

Verbinski is currently directing a live-action version of the video game Bioshock with Universal.

He most recently signed on with Universal as a producer for the remake of the 2006 popular Korean thriller The Host, with Fredrik Bond (The Mood) set to direct and Mark Poirier (Smart People) to script.