With its haunting atmosphere and gripping storyline, BioShock quickly won over gamers. Its dystopian universe has long captured the imagination of filmmakers—but despite multiple attempts, no adaptation has yet made it to screen. Now, all eyes are on Netflix, the last contender still standing.
The streaming giant surprised fans back in early 2022 when it announced a BioShock movie in collaboration with Vertigo Entertainment and Take-Two Interactive. Francis Lawrence, the director behind The Hunger Games and Constantine, was brought on board to lead the project. The announcement generated considerable buzz, but updates have been scarce—until now.
After months of silence, Lawrence disclosed that the movie now has a new screenplay. He stressed that it remains a challenging adaptation, but believes in the direction the project is taking.
New Script, Same Concerns
In a recent interview with IGN, Lawrence briefly discussed the status of the BioShock film. He confirmed the movie is still in development, and revealed that screenwriter Justin Rhodes has joined the project and delivered a new draft. Rhodes previously worked on Terminator: Dark Fate and Secret Level.
“I actually just got a draft. We have a meeting with the writer tomorrow, so that’s definitely a very strong possibility as well,” Lawrence said.
The film’s earlier drafts had come from Michael Green, known for Logan and Blade Runner 2049,but various creative hurdles and the 2023 writers’ strike put the creative process on hold.
Unfortunately, Lawrence did not share additional details about the meeting or the fresh script. While the news is encouraging for fans, it also raises concerns about the project’s stability and its chances of success.
A Challenging Road for BioShock’s Big-Screen Debut
Back when the project first came about, Lawrence was told he’d have full creative freedom to bring BioShock to life. However, that changed in 2024 when Netflix, under new leadership, slashed the budget significantly, forcing the team to scale down their original vision.
“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,” Lawrence noted in July last year.
In his latest comments, Lawrence reiterated that a BioShock movie is a difficult project and that Netflix’s internal changes have made things even more complicated. Still, he remains confident in his team’s ability to pull it off.
“It’s a tricky adaptation, so there’s lots of things to figure out anf to get right,” he pointed. “There’s regime changes at Netflix, and so things stall out and get re-energized and stall out and get re-energized, and I think we’re in a pretty good place, honestly.”