Why Is It So Hard To Make A BioShock Movie?
One of gaming’s richest worlds has struggled to reach the big screen.
From the moment it debuted in 2007, BioShock has been celebrated as one of the greatest video games of all time, one that bolstered the medium’s claim to true artistry and spawned a wildly popular franchise. The bleak, alt-’50s art deco aesthetic of the underwater city of Rapture and the many sinister secrets hidden within have captivated fans for almost 20 years, and as an experience heavily influenced by the atmosphere and decision-making of games like System Shock and Resident Evil, it’s inspired a new generation of immersive sims. Naturally, it’s only a matter of time before something as successful as BioShock gets the big-budget Hollywood treatment, which makes it so surprising that despite multiple attempts, a film has never made it to the big screen.
After a decade of a planned film adaptation languishing in development hell, Netflix and Take-Two Games announced in 2022 that the film would premiere on the streaming service, directed by Francis Lawrence (The Long Walk, all but the first Hunger Games). But there had been three years of radio silence until last week, when producer Roy Lee let it slip to Collider that the film was still under development (and hinted at a potential new game). And while Lee specified that the only thing delaying the project is Lawrence’s other commitments, it's hard not to ask the persistent question that has been troubling fans for almost two decades now – why is BioShock so hard to adapt?
Can a film properly replicate the experience of facing your first Big Daddy?
The History of the BioShock Movie
The first time a BioShock adaptation was floated was back in 2008, with none other than Gore Verbinski attached to direct. Verbinski was a massive fan of the game’s visual direction and worldbuilding, saying the “utopia-gone-wrong” premise was “brimming with cinematic potential.” Take-Two signed a then-unprecedented deal with the studio, receiving a multi-million-dollar advance against the film’s gross and convincing Take-Two’s executive chairman, Strauss Zelnick, that the movie would actually get made.
Despite a dream creative pairing, Verbinski eventually stepped down to direct Rango, passing the project on to 28 Weeks Later director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo while remaining attached as producer. However, a (frankly necessary) $200 million budget and Verbinski’s insistence on an R-rating eventually led to the project being officially cancelled in 2013, when the film was only eight weeks away from shooting, and with the concept art that has leaked online suggesting that it would have been a faithful and unique cinematic spectacle.
Concept art from Gore Verbinski’s unfilmed Bioshock adaptation.
Why Is BioShock Is So Difficult To Adapt?
BioShock is an expensive world, and adapting it to the screen would be a huge undertaking from a purely technical standpoint. Rapture is a visual marvel, and the sprawling, decrepit city is filled to the brim with breathtaking architecture that evokes 1940s and ‘50s New York. It makes perfect sense that Verbinski would've wanted practical sets, but from a studio’s perspective, that means a lot of time and money. There's also the matter of the game’s action setpieces, which rely heavily on volatile mutant abilities (throwing fireballs, shooting electricity) as well as the iconic Big Daddies (giant mechanical suits of armor), both of which guarantee a massive visual effects budget.
But aside from an undoubtedly high price point, there’s also the fact that BioShock is a dense work of art that wrestles with questions of free will, individualism versus collectivism, and unrestrained capitalist ambition. It may look like a thrilling action-horror romp, but there’s a lot more lurking beneath the surface, and who could blame Take-Two for hesitating to rush an adaptation that might not accurately reflect the game’s complexity?
Luckily, Francis Lawrence is a director who’s displayed an aptitude for bringing rich, layered worlds to life. His films have honored their source material while making them tangible and believable for audiences, so hopefully the upcoming Netflix adaptation bucks the streak of bad luck that has followed BioShock adaptations. Fans deserve to be rewarded after a long wait, but new viewers will need to be won over as well if the franchise hopes to move into the future.
