Netflix has been actively venturing into the world of gaming with umpteen video game adaptations alongside producing actual gaming content. After many successful ventures, including The Witcher, Resident Evil and more, the streamer has decided to dabble in the acclaimed video game franchise BioShock to adapt it into a “cinematic universe”.
The video game has been up for grabs for adaptation for a long time, but it seems like the streamer will finally break its dry spell. Having debuted in 2007, the game has led to two main sequels, another in the works now. This retro-futuristic gameverse employs RPG elements with a first-person shooter against fictional, ruinous backdrops.
Created by Ken Levine, the game has been inspired by the ideas of George Orwell, Ayn Rand and Aldous Huxley as it comprises various themes, including utopia, American exceptionalism, chaos etc.
The first two games were set in 1960, in the fictional underwater city of Rapture, while the third game, titled BioShock: Infinite took the players to the airborne city of Columbia in 1912. With a global sale of nearly 40 million copies, BioShock is one of the best-selling game franchises in gaming history.
While a possible adaptation was in the talks in 2008 with Pirates of the Caribbean director, Gore Verbinski expressing interest in John Logan’s script, the plans fizzled out due to the project’s enormous cost.
Following the failure on Verbinski’s part, he was roped in as a producer while Juan Carlos Fresnadillo was set to direct. However, the project fell apart due to unknown reasons.
The video game genre is allegedly considered to be a cursed genre, with most projects failing and only some achieving the successful stature of Resident Evil.
However, Netflix’s venture into the gaming world has been quite fruitful, with The Witcher spinning off a whole universe with two seasons and a third in the works, an animated origin story, an upcoming prequel spin-off, and more.
Stay tuned for more updates regarding the BioShock film adaptation.
