It has been about fifteen years since a film adaptation project of the Bioshock video game trilogy has been passed from hand to hand in Hollywood. Even Guillermo del Toro more or less broke his teeth on it. It is ultimately Francis Lawrence (the Hunger Games saga) who has been given the role of director, on behalf of Netflix.
Bioshock: a delicate adaptation according to Francis Lawrence
During a recent interview with IGN about the new Hunger Games, Lawrence discussed his work on this project, which he had already heard about as early as 2009: “I’m also working on Bioshock. It’s another project I’m really trying to get off the ground, which is also at Netflix, which is partly complicated. It’s a delicate adaptation, because it’s an absolutely amazing universe. As a player, you are the main character of this story. So finding the right approach is difficult, but we’re getting there more and more, which is also very exciting.”
Welcome to a utopian society gone wrong
Lawrence asserts his determination to make the best film possible, explaining that he is focused on respecting the original work and on the desire to bring the game to the screen in the most faithful way possible. “The creator of Bioshock had to, essentially, give his approval to me and my knowledge, he continues. Again, he wanted to know that I was in love with the spirit of the game. I think he really wanted to protect certain elements, certain ideas and certain themes, as is only normal when you are the creator.”
Launched in 2007 by 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, Bioshock was a success and spawned two sequels, which were also acclaimed by critics. A first-person shooter, it takes place in a ruined underwater city called Rapture, built by a utopian society gone wrong.
