Bioshock’s live-action adaptation to be led by Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence

Anna Bernardo
·Contributor
Updated ·2 min read
4
Bioshock will get a Netflix adaptation to be directed by Francis Lawrence and to be written by Michael Green. (Photo: 2K Games)
Bioshock will get a Netflix adaptation to be directed by Francis Lawrence and to be written by Michael Green. (Photo: 2K Games)
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Netflix’s upcoming live-action movie adaptation of Bioshock, the classic retrofuturistic first-person shooter RPG, has found its director.

Francis Lawrence, popular for his work on The Hunger Games series and 2007 post-apocalyptic movie I am Legend will be at the helm of Bioshock. Michael Green, who wrote the scripts for Logan and Blade Runner 2049, is also confirmed to write the film's script.

“Lawrence is no stranger to dystopia,” Netflix said in their announcement.

“On top of the three Hunger Games films he directed, he also led Will Smith through the monster-infested New York of I Am Legend. And, of course, his spy thriller Red Sparrow saw him take on another crucial part of BioShock lore: people listening to tapes.”

Developed by Irrational Games and released in 2007 by 2K Games Australia, Bioshock puts players in the shoes of Jack, who, after surviving a plane crash, discovered the city of Rapture, a dystopian Art Deco metropolis at the bottom of the sea inspired by Ayn Rand's Objectivist writings.

As he seeks a way home, Jack must contend with the genetically-modified inhabitants of the dying city.

Bioshock was one of the most iconic games of its time. (Photo: 2K Games)
Bioshock was one of the most iconic games of its time. (Photo: 2K Games)

The game was a smash hit and a commercial success, even spawning two sequels, BioShock 2 (2010) and BioShock Infinite (2013), all of which are considered among the most iconic games of its generation.

Plans for a live-action BioShock film stretch back to 2008, when it was announced that Universal Studios would produce a film based on the game directed by Gore Verbinski and written by John Logan. However, the film was cancelled in 2017.

Concept art from the cancelled Universal Studios adaptation shared by its illustrator (Photo: Kasra Farahani Production Design)
Concept art from the cancelled Universal Studios adaptation shared by its illustrator (Photo: Kasra Farahani Production Design)

The I am Legend director is currently working on The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and will reportedly jump into the next project as soon as the filming wraps up.

Netflix has been known to take on movie/series adaptations of video games like Resident Evil, DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, League of Legends: Arcane, and Tekken: Bloodline.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

For more gaming news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooGamingSEA. Also follow us on Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube, and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page!