BioShock's Lost Film: How Gore Verbinski Planned to Adapt Both Endings and Why It Never Happened

Imagine a "hard R"-rated BioShock film, directed by the visionary behind Pirates of the Caribbean, featuring a functioning underwater rail system and a narrative bold enough to include both of the game's iconic endings. For a brief moment in 2008, this was not a fan's dream but a real project in development. Over the years following its collapse, director Gore Verbinski has detailed the ambitious, startlingly faithful adaptation that nearly was in various interviews. This article explores the fascinating plans for his canceled film, the creative ambition that defined it, and why it ultimately collapsed, casting a long shadow over the franchise's ongoing cinematic journey.

Verbinski's Ambitious Vision for Rapture

Announced in 2008 as a partnership with Universal Pictures, the project immediately signaled serious intent. Verbinski enlisted Academy Award-nominated writer John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator) to pen the screenplay, ensuring a foundation of narrative heft. From the outset, Verbinski was uncompromising on one critical point: the film needed to be a "hard R." This wasn't for gratuitous effect, but a commitment to preserving the game's core identity—its mature philosophical themes, visceral body horror, and the unflinching bleakness of a failed utopia.

His vision extended beyond the rating. Verbinski emphasized a steadfast dedication to faithfully recreating the game's iconic art-deco aesthetic and the terrifying, biomechanical designs of the Big Daddies and Little Sisters. This was not to be a loosely inspired action movie, but a direct translation of Rapture's unique and oppressive atmosphere from screen to cinema. For a director fresh off a billion-dollar pirate franchise, this pivot towards a dense, philosophical horror project demonstrated a profound respect for the source material that is often absent in game adaptations.

The Groundbreaking Narrative Plan: Both Endings

Perhaps the most creative and talked-about revelation from Verbinski was his narrative blueprint. BioShock is famously remembered for its moral choice system revolving around the Little Sisters: harvest them for greater power or save them at a cost. The game offers two distinct endings based on the player's accumulated choices. Verbinski revealed a plan to incorporate both of these choice-based endings into a single film narrative.

This was not a vague idea. He stated he had worked out the complex narrative structure with writer John Logan, suggesting a non-linear or morally layered approach that could accommodate the duality of Jack's potential paths. Furthermore, Verbinski expressed a desire to delve deeper into the "Oedipal aspect" of Jack's relationship with the city's founder, Andrew Ryan—aiming to heighten the psychological and tragic family drama at the story's core. This plan showcased an understanding that adapting BioShock wasn't just about replicating its look, but grappling with its interactive, player-driven soul—a challenge that has doomed many video game adaptations.

Why the Dream of Rapture Drowned

Despite a visionary director, an A-list writer, and a major studio, the project foundered. The ultimate decision to cancel came from Ken Levine, BioShock’s creator and the former head of Irrational Games. In Verbinski's recounting, Levine "didn't really see the match there" with the director's vision, a creative impasse that halted the project at the source.

External market forces played an equally decisive role. The 2009 release of Watchmen, another dark, R-rated, and costly comic book adaptation, underperformed at the box office. This made major studios, including Universal, deeply wary of committing huge budgets to similar genre projects. Verbinski's ambitions likely exacerbated these fears. Reports indicated he wanted to build a practical, functioning underwater rail transport system—the kind of expensive, tangible world-building that defined his Pirates sets but represented a massive financial risk for a hard-R video game movie in a newly cautious climate. The combination of creative disagreement and prohibitive budget concerns sank Rapture before a single frame could be shot.

The Future: A New Voyage to the Lighthouse and Lingering Challenges

The story of BioShock on film did not end there. A new adaptation is currently in development at Netflix, with Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, I Am Legend) attached to direct. As of late 2023, producer Roy Lee confirmed the script is "definitely" based on the first game and is still in active development, though it remains in a cautious, early phase with no release date announced.

This new attempt inherits both the immense potential and the daunting legacy of Verbinski's unmade film. It also presents a new set of conditions. Netflix's platform offers different creative and financial freedoms compared to a traditional studio like Universal, potentially allowing for the mature tone the story requires without the same box-office pressure. However, it also operates within a streaming model with its own budgetary constraints and audience metrics. The core challenges Verbinski faced—translating player agency, justifying a high budget for a philosophically dense horror story, and satisfying the creator's vision—remain relevant. The shadow of the 2008 project looms large, setting a high bar for artistic ambition and fidelity that any new adaptation must confront.

Conclusion: A Lasting Legacy

Gore Verbinski's BioShock remains one of gaming's great "what if" movie adaptations—a project of startling fidelity and narrative ambition that was perhaps too bold, too expensive, and too complex for its time. Its collapse is a masterclass in the perennial challenges of adapting choice-driven video games, where preserving the spirit of player agency often conflicts with the linear demands of cinema. As Netflix takes up the plasmid syringe with a new team, Verbinski's unrealized vision—with its dual endings, Oedipal themes, and literal underwater rails—serves as both a cautionary tale about Hollywood's risk aversion and a lasting high-water mark (a pun not lost on Rapture's fate) for creative ambition in the elusive pursuit of a perfect game-to-film translation.