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A BioShock film had been confirmed, and was originally planned to be released in 2011, coinciding with the release of a third BioShock game. The film was set to be directed by Gore Verbinski, director of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. However, it was announced on August 24, 2009 that because of budget issues, and the prospect of filming some footage overseas, Verbinski had dropped out as director.[1] Verbinski remained as the film's producer, and was working with the new director, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who is best known for his horror sequel 28 Weeks Later, to manage the film's budget. The pre-production on the BioShock film was cancelled sometime in late 2010 or early 2011.

In 2022 it was announced that the film was back in development and would be a Netflix exclusive film. That same year, the film found both its director and writer in Francis Lawrence and Michael Green respectively.

History[]

In early July of 2010 Verbinski announced that he was still active on the film, and that he and Fresnadillo were working to reduce the budget and produce the film with an R-rating.[2]

In February 2011 Verbinski confirmed that pre-production on the BioShock film has stopped because no studio was willing to invest in such an expensive project with a violent theme.[3]

As of May 2012, Levine did mention that there is potential hope for the BioShock film to be made someday, even if an adaptation is not as necessary, especially compromising for a film version that both he and the studio will agree to make. In an interview, Levine didn't mention Fresnadillo, but he did nod to Verbinski's time working on the adaptation, as well as what it will take to get a BioShock film made:

It's all about the stars aligning. We're still focusing on it, but it hasn't consumed us. [...] The thing with Gore [Verbinski] didn't work out, but there's no such thing as 'it's finished' when it comes to making a movie out of something. [...] We don’t have any need to get a movie made. We’d like to have a movie made, but it would have to be the right one, and we’ve had the opportunity to get it made and unless all the right pieces are in place – it’s hard enough to get a movie made when all the right pieces are in place. If you don’t start with the right pieces, you don’t have a prayer. [...] We’ve had a lot of great talks with great people about it. We got close to great people, but you always have to have all of those pieces in place and that’s going to be very challenging. It’s a moving puzzle, but I’m going to be continually talking to people about it. It’s definitely something that’s still in the conversation.

—Ken Levine[4]

However, even with production seemingly dead, in 2014 Sony registered three domain names: bioshock-film.com, bioshock-film.net, and bio-shock.net.[5]

Actor Woody Harrelson ("No Country for Old Men", "Zombieland", "The Hunger Games") was asked about the film and if he would take the role as Bill McDonagh and had this to say: "Nothing is confirmed so far, if they decide to push through with the project, my line is open."[6]

In 2015 emails exposed by Wikileaks revealed that Sony were obtaining the rights for a BioShock film that would be "starting over but based on the same story as Gore Verbinski's draft". Another email revealed that Ryan Gosling was interested in the project and would be brought on board once the rights were sewn up. A further update on this revelation could be imminent.[7]

In 2017, after the success of the 2016 R-rated film Deadpool, Verbinski stated on Reddit that the film might have a chance in this day and age.[8]

In 2019, Greg Russo, the writer for the then-upcoming Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, and Saints Row films, stated that he had a great interest in making a film adaption of the game and had been trying to find the right people to make it happen.[9]

On March 3, 2020 the web site wegotthiscovered.com reported that a BioShock film is in development by Universal Pictures. However, they stressed that "in development" does not mean that a film is in current production or will ever go into production.[10]

In 2021, it was revealed that actors Eddie Redmayne ("The Danish Girl", "The Theory of Everything", "Fantastic Beasts-series") and Jamie Dornan ("Fifty Shades of Grey", "Once Upon a Time", "Marie Antoinette") auditioned for the film.[11]

In February of 2022, Take Two and 2K announced that the film was back in development and would be a Netflix exclusive film.[12]

In August of 2022, it was announced that Francis Lawrence would be helming the film as director, and Michael Green would be writing the script.[13] Lawrence felt confident in their project when asked about the script, as expressed in an interview in November of 2022.[14]

Supposed BioShock (2011) film Script[]

While the script for the BioShock film has not been released to the public, a writer for birthfilmsdeath.com claims to have received a copy.[15] The script by John Logan follows the story of the game with changes appropriate to the difference in media.

The introduction to the film would have seen the audience introduced to the "real world" during the 1960s, after which the opening of the game would have been recreated. Our protagonist, Jack, would survive a plane crash, and would have discovered a Lighthouse. (The film would have provided the reason for him being on the plane as trying to flee from "the mandatory career his dad set up for him right out of college". ) He would have taken a bathysphere trip down to the ocean floor to discover the city of Rapture. Jack would have listened to Andrew Ryan's opening monologue, presumably while in the bathysphere. As in the game, the bathysphere would have been attacked when it arrived in Rapture. Then, Jack would have gotten contacted by a character named Atlas via a short-wave radio.

After the initial attack, the Splicers would have been introduced to the audience as they descended from the ceilings "like spiders." All of splicers throughout the film would have quite clearly gone mad, as would have been depicted in conversation. (One scene is said to have had Jack "watching through a hole in the wall as a Bride and Groom Splicer get into a marital row that results in the Bride killing the Groom before cradling his head in her lap and feeding him bits of wedding cake.") They would also have attacked each other in violent frenzies.

Unlike the game, Jack would have met Atlas face-to-face quite early on; here, he would have caught Jack up to speed with what has been going on in Rapture. The pair would then have encountered Sander Cohen working on "his masterpiece". This confrontation would have led to a fight with Splicers, in which Jack would have used ADAM for the first time. The ADAM, which is described as being blue, would have made Jack "overcome with power, confidence, and bloodlust." He would have won them the fight without any effort on his part.

Not soon after, Atlas and Jack would have been forced to split up, leaving Jack to travel to both Neptune's Bounty and Andrew Ryan's office on his own. On his way there, Jack would have encountered a character of dubious intent by the name of Rudy, as well as a handful of Little Sisters and a Big Daddy. Jack would have barely survived the encounter.

As with the Splicers, Logan's script paints the Big Daddies as fearsome abominations, nearly indestructible and constantly on the lookout for any nogoodniks who might be mistreating their Little Sisters. Jack runs afoul of one such Big Daddy [...] and only just barely survives the brouhaha that ensues. It's a harrowing encounter.

—birthmoviesdeath.com

Eventually, Jack would have made it to Andrew Ryan's office and he would have confronted the man in a similar fashion to the game. "Would You Kindly" references would have been scattered through the film's narrative, which would all have coalesced into the grand reveal of the game. Then, the final act of the film would have "[build] towards an epic showdown between Jack and the guy who's been pulling the strings all along." Finally, the film would have ended with the game's "bad ending." Although, birthmoviesdeath.com alleges that the film's ending would have been darker than that specific ending to the game.

The violence is quick and savage, often cruel.

—birthmoviesdeath.com

As evidenced, the film would have been indisputably been rated R. As mentioned previously, the Splicers would have violently attacked each other and the Big Daddy fight would have been savage. Furthermore, Jack would have brutally murdered a Little Sister, and gotten his ear ripped off sometime during the film — among other things.

According to birthfilmsdeath.com, Jack, as a character, would have been depicted as being "a bit of a wash" and would not have had "a tremendous amount of personality." His central character drive would have been the desire to be free: free from his father’s wishes and free from Rapture. Which is a character motivation that would have been taken straight from the game — with the father character perhaps alluding to Jack’s true father in the game. As in the game, Jack would have attempted to figure out his own identity and his relationship to Rapture. Allegedly, some of the city's denizens would have had looks of recognition on their faces. This would have contrasted the game’s narrative, as Jack left Rapture when he was "no more than two" in the game.

I remember when me and the Kraut put you in that sub. You were no more than two. You were my ace in the hole, but you were also the closest thing I ever had to a son.
Frank Fontaine[src]

The film would have attempted to show a lot of locations from the game, such as the aforementioned Lighthouse and Neptune's Bounty, as well as “towering skyscrapers (seascrapers?), glass tunnels, elaborate hub areas, and various other locales (Sander's gallery, a medical pavilion, numerous secret passages, an entire 1950's neighborhood built to scale in an enormous, warehouse-like space, complete with astroturfed lawns and floodlights on the ceiling to simulate daylight.” All of which would have maintained the game's Art Deco aesthetic.

Gallery[]

Storyboards (2011)[]

Concept Art (2011)[]

References[]

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