Bioshock concept art – Photo: 2K Games
Netflix has officially announced that they are working on a film adaptation of the video game franchise Bioshock with Vertigo Entertainment and 2K, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Here’s a guide to everything you need to know about what to expect from the upcoming adaptation.
Note: This review was first published on February 15, 2022, but has been updated to reflect product changes or news. Last updated on September 7, 2022.
Netflix has been rumored for a while to acquire a Bioshock adaptation, with both a series and a movie in the works. A Bioshock the project was in development before. The project was previously set up at Sony Pictures with Michael De Luca Productions and Immersive Pictures producing. It was also previously created at Universal and Blind Wink Productions.
In early 2022, the copyright was registered with Netflix, and on February 15, Netflix officially announced the project.
Bioshock – Photo: Netflix / 2K Games
Who’s Behind Bioshock on Netflix?
Vertigo Entertainment will be the main production company behind the film. They have been behind movies like It, The Lego Movieand Resentment.
For Netflix, Vertigo Entertainment is working on Death Note and Extinction with upcoming projects: The mother starring Jennifer Lopez, due out in 2022, and The witch boy and reborn a co-production with Fortis Films.
In August 2022 Frances Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, I Am Legendon Netflix the land of sleep) was announced to direct and produce the live-action adaptation of BioShock,
Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049, Death of the Nile) is writing the script.
2K CEO and Chairman Strauss Zelnick, who will serve as an executive producer on the film, said in a statement following the initial announcement:
“Netflix is among the best and most visionary storytellers in all of entertainment today. We are thrilled that they share our vision and commitment to the BioShock franchise, which is loved by millions of fans around the world. 2K’s Cloud Chamber studio is deep in active development of the next iteration of the series, and together with our partnership with Netflix, we remain highly confident that BioShock will continue to captivate and engage audiences like never before.”
Strauss Zelnick – Chairman and CEO, Take-Two Interactive & ZelnickMedia
What is Bioshock?
If you need a quick overview of Bioshock, here’s a quick rundown.
First released in 2007, Bioshock is the critically acclaimed video game series directed by Ken Levine. The game takes place in an underwater city called Rapture. In 2010, a sequel was released that took place 8 years after the events of the first game.
Bioshock Infinite was then subsequently released in 2013, which took place in a drastically different location in a flying city.
Here is how the franchise is described:
“Set in a variety of dystopian and visionary landscapes gone wrong, the series blends science fiction and horror to pose unique existential and societal questions that change the way stories can be told in games – all amid pulse-pounding action gameplay that rewards sharp shooting, clever planning, and deadly improvisation.”
Bioshock Infinite – Photo: 2K Games
Name book BioShock: Rapture was released in 2011 and was written by John Shirley. This backstory details the construction of the Rapture. We mention this because the book’s name is listed among copyright registrations by Netflix and 2K.
At the time of publication, no indication was provided as to which title Netflix will adapt or if it will be a brand new story.
The franchise has been dormant since 2013, but that should change in the coming years with an untitled sequel in the works by Cloud Chamber Studios, a newly formed game studio with teams in California and Quebec. Kelly Gilmour leads the studio and is still aggressively hiring for the follow-up, which has no release date.
Netflix isn’t the first to tackle a Bioshock Adaptation
As mentioned above, this isn’t Bioshock’s first attempt at the big screen.
A Bioshock movie script has been circulating for quite some time, with Universal Pictures at one time developing a movie with Gore Verbinski (Rango, Pirates of the Caribbean) project management. It was canned in 2009, about eight weeks before production began.
Back in March 2020, Scott Wampler of Birth Movies Death was able to read the script and wondered why it wasn’t made then.
Bioshock is just one of several Netflix projects to adapt established video game franchises. Netflix is currently working on other major adaptations including Assassins Creed, Splinter Cell, Tomb Raiderand other Pokemon projects.
Are you excited for the upcoming Netflix Bioshock film adaptation? Let us know in the comments below.