Despite being announced in 2022, there’s been little news on the film adaptation of the hit video game,BioShock, which waspicked up by Netflix as a streaming original. Thanks to producer Roy Lee, however, we now know that the film is still in the works,but with a budget that will be much less than was previously thought. Lee was in attendance at SDCC to share the news yesterday, which comes at the hands of a recent restructuring atNetflix.
PerVariety, the newBioShockmovie still hasThe Hunger Games’ Francis Lawrence attached to direct (who is now busyshooting the Stephen King adaptation,The Long Walk), but thanks to a recent regime change at Netflix which saw Dan Lin take over for Scott Stuber as the streamer’s film chief, the movie will be made on a much smaller scale. Lee says thatBioShockwill now be a “more personal” film.
The new regime has lowered the budgets. So we’re doing a much smaller version. It’s going to be a more personal point of view, as opposed to a grander, big project.
The move comes as a result of Netflix looking to cut costs and not spend as much on original offerings, which may or may not bode well forBioShock. With such a rich universe and impressive set-pieces, the movie would’ve had to rely on a lot of CGI to bring it to life (and probably still will), which could’ve taken away from the film’s story to focus more on expensive graphics. One only has to look at the description of the original game to know that.
“The game follows player character Jack, who discovers the underwater city of Rapture, built by business magnate Andrew Ryan to be an isolated utopia. The discovery of ADAM, a genetic material which grants superhuman powers, initiated the city’s turbulent decline. Jack attempts to escape Rapture, fighting its mutated and mechanical denizens, while engaging with the few sane survivors left and learning of the city’s past.”
They’re Making the Wrong BioShock Movie
There’s no denying thatBioShockis going to be an impressive film once the cameras finally start rolling, but in all honesty, they’re making the wrong movie. Sure,BioShockmade an impact upon its release in 2007 by borrowing heavily from the philosophies of Ayn Rand, but the world was a different place then, and the overall story might not resonate with viewers in today’s society.
2013’sBioShock Infinite, and its main character, Booker DeWitt, should have been the subject of the adaptation if the filmmakers really wanted to pack a punch today. Filled with themes of patriotism, white supremacy, class warfare, fascism, and religious zealotry, the game seems like it’s ripped right from the headlines of 2024, and would’ve offered much more relevant social commentary.
BioShock Movie: What We Hope to See In the Netflix Adaptation
From Rapture’s decor to Little Sisters and Big Daddies, here’s what we hope to see in Netflix’s BioShock movie.
Still, we’ll take what we can get when it comes to video game adaptations, as with the recent successes ofThe Last of UsandTwisted Metal– and theupcoming release ofBorderlands– they seem to be firing on all cylinders right now. Hopefully,BioShockwill be a success, and can pave the way for the adaptation we really want to see.
