As of early 2026, Netflix's live-action adaptation of the video game Bioshock remains in development, with filming not expected to start until at least early 2027. Director Francis Lawrence is finishing post-production on the Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, delaying the project. Producers aim to align the movie's release with upcoming Bioshock games.
The Bioshock movie was officially announced by Netflix on February 15, 2022, in partnership with Vertigo Entertainment and 2K, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Vertigo Entertainment, known for films such as It, The Lego Movie, and The Grudge, is the main production company. In August 2022, Francis Lawrence, director of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and I Am Legend, was attached to direct and produce, with Michael Green writing the screenplay based on his work on Blue Eye Samurai and Logan.
The film adapts the 2007 video game Bioshock, set in the underwater city of Rapture, following Jack, a plane crash survivor who enters the decaying utopia built by industrialist Andrew Ryan. Production updates in 2025 and 2026 confirm it will cover the original game, not the sequel Bioshock Infinite.
Strauss Zelnick, CEO and Chairman of 2K, serves as an executive producer. He stated: “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… we remain highly confident that BioShock will continue to captivate and engage audiences like never before.”
In July 2024, the project underwent a reconfiguration, scaling down the budget to focus on a more personal and atmospheric story rather than a $200 million blockbuster. By May 2025, Lawrence received a new script draft and met with Green. As of February 2026, the script is in a “very strong place,” but production waits for Lawrence to complete post-production on Sunrise on the Reaping in late 2026.
Writer Andrew Kevin Walker told Collider: “We’re just waiting for him [Francis Lawrence] to finish post-production, because he’s going to be working on it through at least September, and then jump back into it. I know that Netflix and Take-Two are very anxious to see the movie come out because they want to have the release coincide with some of the potential new incarnations of the game.” Producer Roy Lee added: “It’s steadily on the path, but you know how it goes. It’s… so many things could get in the way, but I know that the intent is to hopefully get in production next year.”
This is not the first Bioshock adaptation attempt; Universal Pictures developed one with director Gore Verbinski in 2009, but it was canceled weeks before production due to concerns over the R-rating and budget. Netflix's approach emphasizes a tighter, character-driven horror perspective. The Bioshock franchise has been dormant since 2013, but Cloud Chamber Studios is developing a fourth game, facing delays in 2025 and targeting a 2027 or 2028 release that may align with the film.
