The streaming giant, along with 2K and Take-Two Interactive, will at long last make the dystopian deep-sea sci-fi shooter game into a movie, after previous efforts to do so were abandoned years ago.
Netflix, 2K, and Take-Two Interactive have teamed up to produce a live-action film adaptation of the deep-sea sci-fi shooter game, BioShock.
In BioShock, a dilapidated underwater city called Rapture is rocked by civil war, as many of its citizens become addicted to a genetically enhancing serum. The people of Rapture also live among the menacing and monstrous Big Daddies -- heavily armored and mutated humans whose bodies are grafted onto diving suits. The story’s protagonist, Jack, first finds himself in this bizarro world when he survives a plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean.
2K released the hugely popular dystopian sci-fi shooter game 15 years ago. By the time it had sold millions of copies and spawned two sequels - BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite - it became a highly sought-after property. Universal was set to make it into a movie, with Gore Verbinski attached to direct, but creative and budgetary conflicts ultimately tanked the project.
Today, however, video game adaptations are a better financial bet for studios than they’ve ever been: Netflix’s series adaptation of The Witcher, for example, has remained a top-rated title on the streaming platform and spawned an anime feature, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which premiered last August.
Vertigo Entertainment and Take-Two will serve as producers on the BioShock feature, putting the pieces in place for what may be a new burgeoning cinematic universe. Although the deal has been in the works for the better part of the past year, no writers or filmmakers have been confirmed at this time.
“Netflix is among the best and most forward-thinking storytellers in all of entertainment today. We are thrilled that they share our vision and commitment to the BioShock franchise, which is beloved by millions of fans around the world,” said Take-Two Interactive’s chairman and CEO, Strauss Zelnick, in a statement. “2K’s Cloud Chamber studio is deep in active development on the next iteration of the series, and coupled with our partnership with Netflix, we remain highly confident that BioShock will continue to captivate and engage audiences like never before.”
Max Weinstein is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. He is the Editor-at-Large of 'Dread Central' and former Editorial Director of 'MovieMaker.' His work has been featured in 'Cineaste,' 'Fangoria,' 'Playboy,' 'Vice,' and 'The Week.'
