BioShock movie adaptation will follow the story of the first game

Now that Hollywood has finally started cracking the code for making decent—and occasionally even great—live-action video game adaptations, it’s actually worth paying attention to how these projects develop. Maybe even getting excited about them. One of the latest games headed to the big screen is none other than BioShock, the beloved Xbox 360-era classic. (Yes, the first one—not Infinite, thankfully.)

According to The Direct, producer Roy Lee (The Minecraft Movie, Weapons, The Long Walk) recently confirmed that the upcoming film adaptation will be “definitely based on the first BioShock game.” While other details are still under wraps, the project hit a temporary delay due to script revisions but now appears to be back on track. The production is currently waiting for director Francis Lawrence (Constantine, The Hunger Games) to finish work on The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping before moving forward.

Although I’ve generally been skeptical of the endless wave of live-action game adaptations, the idea of bringing BioShock’s eerie underwater world to life as a big-budget film is genuinely intriguing. Sure, the game’s story is a blunt critique of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, but the real star was always the setting: Rapture, a hauntingly beautiful underwater city, tailor-made for stunning production design.

As a thematic vehicle, Rapture leans heavily into anti-libertarian ideas, but as a cinematic backdrop, it's full of atmosphere and creative potential. And given Lawrence’s strong track record with visually immersive worlds—especially in I Am Legend—this adaptation might just offer a deeper dive than expected.