The script for the film lies in the capable hands of
Blade Runner 2049 writer
Michael Green, who Lawrence says is currently plugging away at it. The two have already planned out what will happen in the adaptation, so it's more a matter of giving Green the time and space to get through it. There's a high level of confidence that
BioShock is finally getting off the ground with Netflix, as Lawrence explains:
Well, Michael Green, who wrote
Blade Runner 2049, among other things, and who's been a friend of mine for years, he's writing it, and he's in the middle of writing it right now. We already have our take, outline, and all that kind of stuff, so that's all done. He's now just actually writing. That's why I said it's a real possibility of [it] being what's next.
BioShock would need to translate those same themes while not simply retreading old ground sans gameplay. Lawrence isn't lacking in confidence when it comes to adapting the game, however. He had no trouble turning
Suzanne Colins'
The Hunger Games novels into a wildly successful blockbuster franchise after all. Video game adaptions have also improved their track record of late with the
Sonic the Hedgehog films finding success on the big screen while
The Witcher became one of Netflix's biggest properties. This is without mentioning other upcoming adaptations like
Ghost of Tsushima and
The Last of Us. When asked what it was about
BioShock that made him believe it would be a great movie, he cited the thoughtful nature of the games as well as the gravitas in its premise and its weave of different ideas as reasons the film could hit home with a new audience. He added:
First of all, I think it's one of the best games ever created. It's also, I think, one of the most visually unique games ever created. The other thing, and one of the things that always appeals to me, is it is very thematic. There's real ideas and philosophies underneath the game property, and it's really, really, really thought out. A lot of games may have a great world of some kind, or they may have a great lead character, or they may tee you up for great set-pieces, but they don't really have the ideas, they don't have the kind of weight and the gravitas that
Bioshock does. The sort of combo of real ideas and philosophies mixed with the unbelievable aesthetic of it. Plus, one of the other things that I love, love, love is that sort of strange mashup of genre, the idea that you have what feels like a period piece, mixed with body horror, mixed with sci-fi. It's one of those great mashups, and I think it can be really unique and really beautiful and really entertaining.
Working with Netflix has also given Lawrence a sense of freedom that he believes will help him create a faithful
BioShock film without studio interference. He continued on, talking about his discussions with Take-Two Interactive and
Ken Levine, the man largely responsible for developing the concept for
BioShock:
There's always discussions about rating and tone. I don't want to get into it too much now because it's pretty early on in the process, but I certainly have not felt stifled in any way, or sent in any directions with Netflix. I mean, basically me and Cameron [MacConomy] who works with me, and Michael are getting to do what we want to do, which is great. A lot of it is staying really true to the game itself, and we're talking to Take-Two [Interactive] and Ken Levine.
