It sounds like Francis Lawrence’s next film will indeed be the film adaptation of the “BioShock” video game, which was originally announced in 2021.
Lawrence has been fairly busy these last few years, having directed last year’s “The Long Walk” and the upcoming “Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.” Those projects have kept him occupied, but it’s looking very likely that “BioShock” will come next.
The film’s producer, Roy Lee, tells Collider that Lawrence will begin working on “BioShock” once post-production on “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” wraps.
We would have gotten it made a few years back, but then other movies got in the way, with one being The Long Walk and the other being The Hunger Games prequel, which comes out this December. We’re just waiting for him [Francis] to finish post-production, because he’s going to be working on it through at least September, and then jump back into it.
Lee adds that “the intent is to hopefully get in production next year.” A 2027 shoot would likely mean a 2028 release. If you remember, Gore Verbinski was attached to the project for years before Lawrence came onboard. I would have loved to have seen the former’s version rather than the latter.
While no official story details have been revealed, the “BioShock” movie is expected to draw heavily from the game’s setting and themes. The story would likely follow a lone survivor who discovers Rapture, a failed underwater utopia built by industrialist Andrew Ryan, where unchecked genetic modification and extreme individualism have led to societal collapse. The protagonist would no doubt confront the city’s twisted inhabitants, known as Splicers. The film is expected to blend sci-fi horror with political allegory.
Lawrence’s filmography has resulted in a stellar, if somewhat unspectacular, studio career, spanning over two decades: “Constantine,” “I Am Legend,” “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Red Sparrow” — all respectable efforts. Hardly masterpieces, but he’s proven himself a steady hand, and there are plenty of far weaker filmmakers currently working at the major studio level.