Director Guillermo del Toro has confirmed that he was involved in early discussions to adapt the seminal underwater shooter BioShock into a film, describing the experience as "disastrous." While adaptation attempts for the game have been ongoing since its 2007 release, del Toro's potential involvement was previously unconfirmed.
In an interview with IGN, del Toro stated that he received "a couple of calls" regarding the BioShock movie. However, he characterized these discussions as some of the "most disastrous calls I've ever had," and did not proceed further with the project. He also expressed a general reluctance towards adapting video games, stating unequivocally, "Fuck no" when asked about future game adaptation endeavors. This sentiment stems from his past negative experiences with potential game projects, including the canceled Insane and Silent Hills.
The Long Road to a BioShock Film
Despite the troubled development history, a BioShock film is actively in development at Netflix. Announced in 2022, the project is set to be directed by Francis Lawrence, known for his work on The Hunger Games franchise, with a script by Michael Green, who previously wrote Logan and Blade Runner 2049. The earliest known attempt to bring BioShock to the screen involved Gore Verbinski, director of Pirates of the Caribbean. Verbinski's vision reportedly aimed to incorporate both of the game's endings, but the project was ultimately scrapped due to budget concerns and disagreements over its intended rating.
At present, Netflix has not provided further details regarding its BioShock adaptation.