Summary
- The BioShock movie adaptation is still in development at Netflix.
- The film is facing budget constraints which is reshaping the scale of the story.
- Francis Lawrence remains on board to direct the Netflix movie.
As video game adaptations head toward critical mass in Hollywood, fans are still waiting to see if the long-gestating BioShock movie adaptation will ever make it to the screen. The project has been in development for so long now that audiences would be forgiven for assuming it was dead, but the director of the Netflix adaptation has reassured that is not the case.
2K’s dystopian sci-fi game hit consoles back in 2007 and quickly became critically acclaimed and beloved by fans. Two sequels followed with BioShock 2 (2010) and BioShock Infinite (2013), establishing the title as a powerhouse franchise. The game’s creative and immersive world seemed like a no-brainer for translation into a film, but a BioShock movie has struggled to get off the ground. A film was once in development with Gore Verbinski set to direct before that fell to the wayside. Then in 2022, Netflix revitalized the project, attaching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s Francis Lawrence as director and Michael Green (Logan) to write the script.
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The BioShock Movie’s Turbulent Development Timeline Explained
Hollywood has been trying to bring 2K’s BioShock games to the screen for years, but it hasn’t been an easy road.
BioShock Director Provides Reassuring Update
While the BioShock adaptation received a new lease on life at Netflix, the film has remained in the development process for two years. An update from producer Roy Lee in 2024 revealed that the film was being modified due to a smaller budget allowance but was still in the works. Most recently, director Francis Lawrence reaffirmed to Collider that he is still on board the project and that it is still moving forward. “I am still attached. Yes, we’re still working on that one, that’s one also that I’m very excited about,” Lawrence confirmed. The director did not elaborate further, but this is a reassuring update for any fans worried that the film’s budget being slashed may have resulted in it being dropped like the last iteration.
BioShock’s Development Struggles Make Sense
It isn’t all that surprising that BioShock film has struggled to take off. The game is set in the visceral and immersive underwater city of Rapture, which is plagued with mutated denizens and terrifying Big Daddies. The VFX and production design required to pull off such a detailed sci-fi world is enough to rack up quite a budget. Lee revealed that the film’s smaller budget meant they would be pulling back to focus on a more “personal” story rather than a grand-scale project, which could end up working in the film’s favor. However, Lawrence is used to working with the budget of multi-million dollar Hunger Games films, so it will be interesting to see how he adapts to a smaller-scale project.
BioShock is one of several video game adaptations being worked on at Netflix right now. However, the streamer has become known for its animated series in this space, producing shows like Arcane, Castlevania, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The intention here still seems to make BioShock a live-action film, but if the budget constraints become too difficult perhaps Netflix will switch tact and turn it into an animation instead.