The long-in-development BioShock movie for Netflix is still in progress, according to director Francis Lawrence, though he admits the project presents considerable challenges. Lawrence stated that he remains actively involved and hopes to bring the adaptation to fruition, but described the process as difficult on multiple fronts.
"It's tricky on a couple fronts," Lawrence told The Direct. "You are the character when you play the game, and so creating that character from scratch into that world that, you know, quite honestly, is pretty batsh** in a most amazing way. It's tricky. So we're getting there, and we're getting close, which is great."
The film initially envisioned as a large-scale production underwent scaling back following changes in Netflix's film leadership. Recent executive shifts at the streaming giant, including the departure of film chief Dan Lin and chief content officer Bela Bajaria, introduce further uncertainty. Lawrence expressed hope that these management changes would not significantly impact the BioShock movie's trajectory.
"I would love nothing more than to be able to make that movie," Lawrence said. "So still working on it. And then, you have also just the Netflix of it all because Netflix right now has had regime changes and just all of that kind of nonsense that I don't like to have to deal with or have to. So we'll see. Hopefully we'll figure it out."
Lawrence, whose latest project is the Hunger Games film "Sunrise on the Reaping," indicated that the BioShock movie's development is one of several projects in contention. He explained that the advancement of any film depends on a confluence of factors including script readiness, talent availability, and production realities.
Adding to the ongoing development, BioShock producer Roy Lee suggested that the movie's release might coincide with a new BioShock game. While no specific title was named, Take-Two has previously confirmed that BioShock 4 is in development.