Summary
The Netflix film adaptation of the universally acclaimedBioShockvideo game has received a major development since the project’s announcement in 2022. The news further challenges the film’s turbulent road to production, echoing the adaptation’s complicated development history that stems from a different studio over a decade ago.
2K’sBioShockfranchise began with the release of 2007’sBioShockand spawned two more entries in the form of 2010’sBioShock 2and 2013’sBioShock Infinite, with a fourth game currently in development under incredibly high discretion.The inaugural title has been laudedfor its presentation, threading its narrative with nuanced themes and melding elements from role-playing and survival horror games against the backdrop of the art deco-bathed underwater dystopia of Rapture.BioShockhas often been cited as a prime example of how video games can be viewed as art, swiftly generating enough acclaim and notoriety to secure a major film adaptation. The latest update on the Netflix film offers insight as to where it stands in its labored odyssey to the big screen.
During his conversation at Collider’s Producers on Producers panel at San Diego Comic-Con,BioShockfilm producer Roy Lee revealed that the film’s budget has been scaled down due to a leadership shuffle within the streaming giant’s film department.As reported by Variety, Lee said, “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.”
TheBioShockadaptation’s budget woes dates back to its earliest incarnation in the late 2000s, whenPirates of the CarribeandirectorGore Verbinski boarded the Universal-backed productionas director. Verbinski stepped down from the role in 2009 after Universal downsized the production budget from $200 million to $80 million, and the following year, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, writer and director of28 Weeks Later, was set to take over directing duties. After several more setbacks, the originalBioShockgame’s director, Ken Levine, ultimately shelved the project in 2013, noting that the new director was a mismatch for the material. The film adaptation has since been dead in the water, until it was resuscitated with the announcement that Netflix would be producing the film withI Am LegendandThe Hunger Gamesfilmmaker Francis Lawrence directingfrom a script written byLoganandBlade Runner 2049scribe Michael Green.
While theBioShockfilm still has much ground to cover until cameras begin rolling, the adaptation is off to a solid start with creative talent like Lawrence and Green attached. Given their previous body of work and the current golden age of video game adaptations, theBioShockfilmcould shape up to be as electrifyingas the original game’s Electro Bolt Plasmid.
BioShock
2K Games' BioShock franchise instantly grabbed the player’s attention when it began in 2007 by taking them on a memorable trip down to Rapture. The first two games took place in the iconic underwater city, while the third took players up to the gorgeous flying city of Columbia.The critically-acclaimed FPS franchise is considered a spiritual successor to the System Shock series.
