Is The BioShock Movie Ever Going To Happen? Director Weighs In
Release · 13 Oct 2026
Director Francis Lawrence says the long-gestating BioShock movie is “pretty close” to a finished script, offering a hopeful update on a Netflix adaptation that has spent years in development.
Release date
There is still no release date for the BioShock movie, which has spent more than a decade in development and, as GameSpot puts it, appears stuck in development hell. Director Francis Lawrence told GamesRadar the team is “still working on a script,” but that he believes “we’re pretty close” and is “feeling really good about it.” Producer Roy Lee has said he thinks Lawrence could begin work on the film in 2027, while acknowledging plans can change.
What it is
The project is a live-action adaptation of the BioShock game series, set up at Netflix, which announced in 2022 that it had taken over the film. According to GameSpot, Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski was originally attached to direct a theatrical release and pushed for a big-budget, R-rated version, but the studio reportedly balked after Zack Snyder’s Watchmen adaptation flopped. After a regime change at Netflix, producer Roy Lee said the movie was scaled back into a more “personal” story.
Blade Runner 2049’s Michael Green and Terminator: Dark Fate’s Justin Rhodes are working on the script, and there is no word yet on a cast. Lawrence was previously busy with 2025’s The Long Walk and December’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, per GameSpot.
Where to get it
The BioShock movie is set to stream on Netflix, but no release window has been announced. Lee said rights-owner Take-Two is “very anxious to see the movie come out,” because the plan is for it to “coincide with some of the potential new incarnations of the game.” Take-Two has said the in-development BioShock 4 will release “without question,” and a remake of the original was reportedly canceled in 2025, according to GameSpot.
Sources
- gamespot.com — “Is The BioShock Movie Ever Going To Happen? Director Weighs In”
- gamesradar.com — “BioShock movie director says he’s been ‘dying’ to make his Netflix adaptation and they’re ‘pretty close’ to a script”