One of the producers working on the BioShock movie recently confirmed a key detail about the upcoming video game adaptation that was previously in question: the film will be based on the first game. Netflix's take on Irrational and 2K Games' beloved series of narrative action games has been long in the works, with Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence at the helm.
While fans knew the upcoming movie would be set in the world of the acclaimed gaming series, there was no guarantee that the film adaptation would directly translate the events of any particular BioShock title to the screen.
In fact, given the way the games have played out (being something of an interwoven anthology that has folded in on itself several times), many had assumed it would be another original story that would again tie into the series' overarching themes; however, producer Roy Lee confirmed that will not be the case.
In an exclusive conversation with The Direct while promoting The Long Walk, Lee revealed that Francis Lawrence's BioShock film will be based on the first BioShock game. "It's definitely going to be based on the first BioShock game," Lee posited, when asked about the video game adaptation:
The Direct: I am so, so excited. Is there anything you could tease about that, that story and your approach to that movie?
Lee: "...Netflix wants us to keep everything under wraps. But it's definitely going to be based on the first 'BioShock' game..."
He continued, leading on that the upcoming BioShock film will be director Lawrence's next project after his upcoming adaptation of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping:
"Well, 'The Long Walk' became a reality because 'BioShock' was delayed for a little bit where we had to do some more script work. And so as the script work is being done, we shot 'The Long Walk,' and he was already committed to doing the next 'Hunger Games' movie. And so it's just waiting for him whenever the 'Hunger Games' is completed, and the script is just being worked on right now."
Production on the new Hunger Games spin-off is ongoing in Spain, with a release set for November 2026. It is assumed that BioShock production would be next in line for the director after Sunrise of the Reaping, with a release then coming sometime after that November 2026 date.
After years of sitting in the ether, Netflix's Bioshock movie was first announced in 2022, with Lawrence attached all the way back then. Since that initial announcement, not much has been heard from the project, other than it was still in the works and would arrive on the streamer eventually.
Lawrence told IGN back in May that he thought the "tricky" video game adaptation was "in a good place," marking the first significant signs of movement on the project in years:
"It's a tricky adaptation, so there's lots of things to figure out and to get right. There's regime changes at Netflix, and so things stall out and get re-energized and stall out and get re-energized, and I think we're in a pretty good place, honestly."
Now, it seems as though it is actually happening and could be the Long Walk director's next project.
The first BioShock game was released in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and PC (eventually coming to PlayStation 3 as well). It spawned two sequels, BioShock 2 and BioShock: Infinite, which were released in 2010 and 2013. The first game, which has been heralded as one of the great video game stories by critics, follows the ill-fated adventures of Jack, who, after being marooned in the middle of an ocean, comes across a dystopian underwater city with a dark secret.
No casting or release information for the BioShock movie has been revealed publicly; however, it will be on Netflix globally whenever it comes out. Lawrence is poised to direct the project, and Logan writer Michael Green is penning the script.
The BioShock Movie Might Be Alright
For years, there have been questions about whether or not the BioShock movie would work. The most significant source of these worries among fans has been over the film's potential budget.
The world of Rapture (the underwater city in which the first game takes place) works in a game, as it can be digitally rendered without having to be actually crafted in real life. For a movie, that is a bit of a different proposition.
However, as time has gone on, Hollywood has proven it can authentically render some of these more fantastical video game worlds on screen. Since BioShock's initial announcement, fans have seen live-action gaming hits come and go in titles like The Last of Us and Twisted Metal.
These other gaming adaptations have proven that a world like Rapture can be done in live-action, without breaking the bank.
Plus, with how celebrated Francis Lawrence's dystopian epic The Long Walk has been heading into release (being heralded as one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever), it seems the beloved gaming franchise is in good hands.
If Lawrence can ride this wave of momentum from The Long Walk and capture the dreary, damp creepiness of BioShock's world, then the upcoming movie may be alright after all.
