Bioshock's fathomless setting of Rapture is the stuff Hollywood studio execs dream of: an established IP, a chance to splash out on visual effects, and a Byzantine plot. But the BioShock movie - once attached to Pirates of the Caribbean helmer Gore Verbinski - hasn't surfaced yet.
Talking to Industry Gamers , Bioshock's creator Ken Levine stated that the movie is “definitely something that's still in the conversation”, so it's not quite dead in the water. “We'd like to have a movie made,” said Levine. “But it would have to be the right one, and we've had the opportunity to get it made and unless all the right pieces are in place – it's hard enough to get a movie made when all the right pieces are in place.”
The potential movie has been put on the back burner while Levine concentrates on the latest BioShock adventure, BioShock Infinite . “I think mostly about the game,” said Levine. “And when it's done, and I have the story worked out completely - every single detail of it, I'll probably be more comfortable thinking about that. But right now I'm really just focused on BioShock Infinite as a game.”
Although we'd love to see BioShock on the big screen, we do have doubts. In terms of content, BioShock was an adult game, with plenty of visceral gore and some challenging thematic elements. For Hollywood to green-light what would undoubtedly be a vastly-budgeted adaptation, the gore and horror would have to be toned down for a PG-13 audience. Surely BioShock's essence is in its relentlessly horrific vision of a utopia gone wrong?
The other problem is that Gore Verbinski couldn't direct you to a sofa in Ikea.
