BioShock Movie Update: “Tricky,” Smaller, but Still Alive

BioShock is one of those franchises that lives in the heads of gamers rent-free. So when Netflix announced a movie adaptation back in 2022, the mix of hype and scepticism was off the charts. Now, in 2025, the fog is finally starting to clear. Director Francis Lawrence has confirmed: the BioShock Movie is still in development—and might actually be coming together.

IGN sat down with Lawrence during press for his upcoming Stephen King adaptation, The Long Walk, and BioShock naturally came up. Despite the radio silence since the initial announcement, he reassured fans that the gears are turning behind the scenes.

“BioShock is still in development.”

According to Lawrence, they just received a fresh script draft and have a meeting lined up with the writer. That writer? Justin Rhodes, best known for Terminator: Dark Fate and Secret Level. Prior versions were handled by Logan and Blade Runner 2049 screenwriter Michael Green, but development hit a standstill during the 2023 Writers Guild strike.

The new draft could be the momentum shift they need, even if Lawrence doesn’t shy away from admitting just how difficult it’s been.

“It's a tricky adaptation, so there's lots of things to figure out and to get right.”

This isn't just director speak—it’s a frank assessment of how weird, philosophical, and structurally unique BioShock is compared to most video game properties. You can’t just slap a generic action story on top of Rapture and call it a day.

Still, there’s a sense of cautious optimism here.

“There's regime changes at Netflix, and so things stall out and get re-energised and stall out and get re-energised, and I think we're in a pretty good place, honestly.”

That’s the quote grabbing headlines, and for good reason. It signals movement. Progress. Something beyond development limbo. But there's a catch, and it's a big one: the scope is shrinking.

image: GameRant

BioShock deserves a film adaptation. Does Riders Republic deserve one? The adrenaline-pumping mountain bike racing film based on the Ubisoft game is also not far off.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, producer Roy Lee mentioned that Netflix’s new leadership is more budget-conscious. That means some of the game’s signature extravagance—like the entire underwater city of Rapture—might not make it in its full, sprawling glory.

“The new regime has lowered the budgets,” said Lee. “So 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.”

That hurts. BioShock is known for its scale, its spectacle, and the suffocating beauty of a failed utopia beneath the sea. Reducing that could risk losing what makes the IP unique. But it could also open the door for a more focused, character-driven story—something that maybe leans harder into the psychological tension and dystopian horror.

Francis Lawrence, who’s directed The Hunger Games, I Am Legend, and Constantine, isn’t a stranger to large-scale adaptations. He’s also gone on record before saying that his BioShock movie would be “really true to the game itself.” That’s important, because fans are quick to reject any movie that goes off-script from the source material.

It’s worth noting that both BioShock creator Ken Levine and publisher Take-Two Interactive are reportedly involved in the project. How much creative control Levine has isn't clear, but his voice is essential. The original game isn’t just about shooting splicers—it’s a philosophical exploration of free will, control, and the illusion of choice.

The worry is always the same: can a 2-hour movie even begin to do justice to BioShock’s complexity? Without Rapture’s overwhelming presence and without the slow-burn discovery that the game provides, it’s going to be hard to replicate that same awe. But maybe Lawrence and Rhodes know that. Maybe that’s why they’re going “smaller.”

Direct Language Highlight:

“It's a tricky adaptation, so there's lots of things to figure out and to get right.” “We’re doing a much smaller version. … It’s going to be a more personal point of view.”

Right now, we’re at the classic Netflix crossroad: lots of promising names, some behind-the-scenes reshuffling, and a beloved IP teetering between passion project and corporate risk. But the signal is still green. Drafts are circulating. Meetings are happening. And most importantly, no one’s given up.

We may not get the full Rapture tour we imagined back in 2022, but a smart, focused BioShock movie could still hit hard—if it keeps the core themes intact and doesn’t try to water down what made the original game unforgettable.

If the team gets it right, this could be Netflix’s best shot at not just adapting a video game, but capturing what made it a masterpiece in the first place.

Stay tuned, but keep expectations submerged—for now.