Netflix BioShock Movie - What We Know So Far
Kindly grab your nearest hypodermic syringe filled with genetic altering material because it looks like Netflix is adapting a hit video game from 2007 into a feature-length film. That video game is "BioShock," which focuses on a hidden city at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean run by Ayn Rand, er, Andrew Ryan. Ryan is a self-made businessman who wishes for complete economic and personal freedom. "BioShock" is a first-person shooter that takes place in 1960, and it follows a protagonist that finds themselves entangled in a power struggle in the underwater city known as Rapture.
However, this city is far from the ones you find on the surface because of access to a resource known as "ADAM," which is harvested from a specific species of deep-sea slug and has the ability to rewrite one's genetic code. ADAM grants its wielders access to fantastic powers like electricity, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, freezing blasts, and even the ability to summon swarms of bees that shoot from the hands (which is a real blast). Unfortunately, ADAM has the side effect of being wildly addicting and causing mental instability after high enough dosages and withdrawal. The effects of ADAM are at the roots of Rapture's eventual devastation as a civil war breaks out.
So, what exactly do we know about the future Netflix adaptation that will (hopefully) bring "BioShock" to an even bigger audience?
Netflix is ready to bring the world of BioShock to life
Long considered a white whale in the adaptation market, at one time, a "BioShock" movie was in the works with "The Ring" helmer Gore Verbinski attached (via Variety). Luckily for fans of the 2K Games franchise, Netflix announced on February 15 that they are currently working on a feature-length film with Vertigo Entertainment and Take-Two Interactive, the company that publishes the hit game (via Twitter). According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new "BioShock" movie is envisioned as the first step in a potential cinematic universe. THR also notes that, unfortunately, there are no writers or directors currently attached to the project, nor is there a release date or any hints about casting.
Considering that video game adaptations have been doing well for Netflix (see: "The Witcher," "Arcane," and "Resident Evil"), it would make sense that the company would consider going down that route once more with a new gaming franchise. The plot of "BioShock" involves the aforementioned civil war and power struggle but also contains an interesting dynamic between the beings known as "Little Sisters" and "Big Daddies." Little Sisters are augmented human girls who have been rendered nigh-invincible due to the process but are unable to defend themselves. This is where the Big Daddies come in, who are absolute brutes with a singular focus, outfitted in heavy-duty dive suits.
The city of Rapture has a fascinating art-deco aesthetic, and music from the 1930s, '40s, '50s, and '60s fills the halls as they fall into ruin and disrepair. Netflix definitely has their work cut out for them by adapting a special-effects and water-logged video game that has some serious things to say about an individual's agency in a story and certain political outlooks.