There are a ton of promising upcoming video game movies and TV shows coming to theaters and several of the best streaming services in the next couple of years, and we’ll soon see several iconic franchises reach new audiences. One of those adaptations, Netflix’s BioShock movie, is one that longtime fans of the sci-fi/horror/action game series have spent many years hoping for. However, several years after the project was announced, we're still pretty much in the dark aboutwhen it’s coming out. Or even what it’ll be about, for that matter.
That said, we have taken a deep dive into this long-in-the-works adaptation of one of the 21st century’s best and most inventive games, and pulled together some key quotes from the creatives working behind the scenes for a comprehensive look at where things are now. Here’s everything said so far about Netflix’s BioShock movie.
There Were Plans To Make A BioShock Movie Long Before Netflix Got Involved, But It Ultimately Fell Through
Before getting into the Netflix BioShock movie, let’s first go back more than a decade-and-a-half and dissect the original plan to turn the successful video game into a massive theatrical release. In May 2008, Variety reported that Universal Studios had signed a deal with publisher Take-Two Interactive to bring BioShock, which had hit Xbox 360 and PC one year earlier, to the big screen. This version was to be directed and produced by Gore Verbinski, who was coming off the success of the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and written by Aviator scribe John Logan.
The project languished in development hell for several years but ultimately fell through shortly before filming was set to begin. Verbinksi later explained in a Reddit AMA (via ComingSoon.net) that Universal pulled the plug in 2011 because he and the studio couldn’t agree on the film’s rating (He wanted an R-rated film, Universal wanted a PG-13 movie).
A Partnership Between Netflix And Take-Two Interactive For A BioShock Movie Was Announced In February 2022
Many, many years (and two sequels and a remastered Bioshock game collection) later, it appeared as if Rapture would rise once again when Netflix entered into a partnership with Take-Two Interactive to make a BioShock movie. In February 2022, THR reported that the streaming giant and publisher had plans to develop an entire cinematic universe based on the games but didn’t go into any details on if that would just include adaptations of the 2007 title and its sequels or a larger expansion and exploration of the lore.
This was good news for longtime fans of the series, as well as those with a Netflix subscription, but it wouldn’t be the only exciting development surrounding the project that year.
In August 2022, Netflix Announced Francis Lawrence Was Set To Direct BioShock
Around six months after news of a Netflix BioShock movie first got out, the streamer announced that it had hired both a director and a screenwriter to get the project off the ground.
Francis Lawrence, who made a name for himself by spearheading projects like Constantine, I Am Legend, and the Hunger Games film franchise (including 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), was tasked with directing the much talked about adaptation. Joining him was Michael Green, whose previous credits included massive films like Logan, Blade Runner 2049, and various others. Both have had experience in the dystopian thriller genre, so the parking made perfect sense.
Francis Lawrence Said Michael Green Was ‘In The Middle Of Writing’ The BioShock Movie in November 2022
It sounds like Michael Green didn’t waste any time getting things going with the BioShock script. In November 2022, just months after Green’s involvement was announced, Francis Lawrence revealed in a Collider interview that a lot of the planning was completed and the Logan writer was chipping away at the script:
Well, Michael Green, who wrote Blade Runner 2049, among other things, and who's been a friend of mine for years, he's writing it, and he's in the middle of writing it right now. We already have our take, outline, and all that kind of stuff, so that's all done. He's now just actually writing. That's why I said it's a real possibility of [it] being what's next.
Though the adaptation appeared to be moving along nicely at the time, Lawrence, Green, and everyone else involved were about to face a major obstacle about six months later.
Michael Green Said The BioShock Movie Was Still In The Works After The Conclusion Of The WGA Writers Strike
The 2023 WGA Writers Strike, like the SAG-AFTRA work stoppage that followed a couple of months later, had a major impact on projects ranging from late-night talk shows to streaming series to movies, and it was no different for BioShock. However, once an agreement was made in September 2023, writers throughout Hollywood were able to get back to work on their various projects, and that was the case for screenwriter Michael Green.
When speaking with Collider in October 2023, Green said that he had been meeting with Francis Lawrence and his team to refine a draft for the long-in-the-works movie. He also revealed that Netflix was “excited about” the story before the strike and they were still stoked about it now that the strike was over.
Francis Lawrence Said He Was ‘Super, Super Excited About’ The BioShock Script In October 2023
Later in October 2023, Francis Lawrence, now able to actually talk about the project he had devoted more than a year obsessing over, told IGN that while the WGA strike did slow things down, he was excited about the script:
Yeah, we got a little stuck. I was hoping we'd be further along before the writer strike. We got a little stuck during the writer strike, but now that part's over. And I will say that I have a draft that I'm super, super excited about.
Lawrence also told the outlet that he was excited about all the world-building possibilities and the idea that he was getting to bring the underwater city of Rapture to life.
In December 2023, Francis Lawrence Said He Was Taking Inspiration From The Shining As Well As Jean-Pierre Jeunet And Marc Caro’s Movies
Though Francis Lawrence couldn’t reveal a great deal about the production or a timeline for BioShock when speaking with i09 in December 2023, the filmmaker did go into the movies inspiring his adaptation, including Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and the work of French directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro:
I look a lot at like The Shining, truthfully, because so much of it is sort of a haunted house idea to me, and that’s what really appeals to me. I will also say we’ve been looking a lot at Jeunet and Caro movies like The City of Lost Children and Delicatessen and things like that. But, we’re in very, very early stages. No official prep yet, but we have a great script.
Taking inspiration from some of the best horror movies on top of the games could lead to a really cool look and tone for Netflix’s movie by the time it’s all said and done. Now all we need is for it to smash an axe through a door and say, "Heeeere's Bioshock!"
Francis Lawrence’s comments in late 2023 are the last we’ve heard about the BioShock movie, but hopefully, we’ll be treated to more updates in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, check out all the other upcoming Netflix movies and shows that will soon be available in the months to come.
