Netflix's Bioshock Movie Gets Major Script Update From Director Francis Lawrence

The director of Netflix’s BioShock movie offers a major update on the script’s status. The movie adaptation of the acclaimed video game franchise of the same name was announced in 2022, with earlier drafts of the screenplay by Michael Green (Logan) and the latest draft by Justin Rhodes (Secret Level). The project encountered some delays during the Writers Guild strike in 2023 but has since resumed development.

In an interview with IGN, director Francis Lawrence provided an update on BioShock. While still in development, the director shared that he had received “a draft” of the script and there was a “very strong possibility” that the project will move forward soon. Lawrence further detailed the challenges of adapting the franchise for movies. Read his comments below:

Bioshock is still in development. I just actually just got a draft. We have a meeting with the writer tomorrow [May 7th], so that’s definitely a very strong possibility as well. It’s a tricky adaptation, so there’s lots of things to figure out and to get right. There’s regime changes at Netflix, and so things stall out and get re-energized and stall out and get re-energized, and I think we’re in a pretty good place, honestly.

What This Means For Netflix’s BioShock Movie

Netflix’s BioShock Movie Is Being Actively Developed

The development of Netflix’s BioShock movie hasn’t been smooth. In 2024, producer Roy Lee shared that the company’s change of leadership shifted the approach to the movie and lowered its budget, referencing the departure of Netflix’s Scott Stuber. This resulted in a change of course to focus on telling a more personal story on a smaller scale.

The director’s comments offer some clarity on the movie’s production status. Despite having been stuck in various stages of writing since 2023, BioShock seems to be “in a pretty good place,” storming through all the external changes. Lawrence also sounds optimistic and excited about the upcoming movie, which is in active development. However, it will be a while until a Bioshock movie goes into production since the director is expected to start filming for Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping this summer.

Our Take On The Update Of Netflix’s BioShock Movie

BioShock Is Moving Forward

A Big Daddy and Little Sister walk down one of Rapture's flooded corridors in Bioshock

While BioShock is still being made, the movie also seems to have a long way to go before production, especially while the creative team is still working on the script. However, a draft does provide a starting point, and it sounds like the project is starting to be realized. Audiences who have been waiting to hear more about the movie may be able to receive updates soon.

A BioShock movie has been in development for over a decade. It wasn’t until Netflix’s deal with game developer Take-Two that the vision started to be solidified. The fact that the movie is being actively developed is already a positive update, especially given how busy Lawrence is. Currently, there’s no cast or plot information on the project, but Netflix’s BioShock adaptation is expected to follow the first game’s storyline and see Jack Wynand, a survivor of a plane crash, stumbling upon the remnants of a failed underwater utopia, overrun by its own inhabitants.

Source: IGN