Summary
- Alex Garland advocates for a 'Bioshock' or 'Doom' adaptation to the big screen.
- 'Bioshock' adaptation faced challenges, from Verbinski to Netflix's upcoming iteration.
- 'Doom' adaptations failed to resonate with fans, no recent progress on TV series or films.
With the latest batch of video game adaptations appearing to break the curse that affected the genre for so many years, gamers and filmmakers alike have been weighing in on the properties they’d like to see done right next. Despite a handful of adaptations which either never made it to fruition or failed to meet expectations, fans of Bioshock and Doom have been among the most vocal.
Apparently among the fans clamouring for proper adaptations of these properties is Alex Garland, director of Annihilation and Civil War, and writer of horror properties from Sunshine to 28 Days Later (as well as its upcoming follow-up 28 Years Later).
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In a recent Reddit AMA to promote his latest film Warfare, asked what video games he’d like to see adapted to the screen, Garland said that "Bioshock or Doom are both due an adaptation". Garland went a step further, commenting that “I sometimes hear about a Bioshock movie/TV show in the works.. So.. Hopefully”.
Is there a Bioshock adaptation in the works?
While it’s unclear what iteration of a Bioshock adaptation Garland has been in the loop about, the series has had one of the most complicated development cycles when it comes to video game adaptations.
Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski was the first name attached to a Bioshock film, which was reported in 2008, the same year as the original game’s release. This version faced a turbulent development cycle, with Verbinski leaving and replaced by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (director of 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to Garland’s breakout horror film).
Eventually this version would go silent, and its cancellation was confirmed by game creator Ken Levine in 2013, with disagreements about the film’s large budget and R-rating reportedly the main reasons the adaptation broke down. Guillermo Del Toro, who was once falsely attached to the film adaptation, said in 2017 that Verbinski “would have been perfect” for a Bioshock film, and that he’d love to see an adaptation come to fruition.
Most recently, Netflix announced in 2022 that they were producing a Bioshock film in partnership with 2k Interactive, with writer Michael Green (Blade Runner 2049) and director Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games) attached. The last update on this project came from Lawrence in February, confirming that he was still attached. In 2024, producer Roy Lee noted that following Netflix leadership changes, it would be a smaller-budgeted project than initially envisioned, with a “more personal point of view as opposed to a grander, big project”.
It’s unclear if this version is intended to take place in Rapture, the iconic underwater city in which the series’ first two games take place in, or in Colombia, the retro-futuristic flying colony which served as the setting for BioShock: Infinite, the series’ latest game, released in 2013.
With the series lying dormant for over a decade now, it’s a property that’s ripe for a fresh instalment, and whilst another mainline game has been announced to be in development, a big-screen adaptation could bring a lot more attention back to a franchise which hasn’t seen an update since 2016’s Bioshock: The Collection.
The troubled history of Doom adaptations
Garland’s other choice has been no stranger to big-screen adaptations, though for most Doom fans these attempts didn’t quite meet the mark.
2005’s Doom was seen by many as another action vehicle for The Rock with little semblance to the tone or aesthetics of the beloved game series. It bombed financially, making less than its budget at the international box office, and currently sits with a 18% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. It has been reclaimed by some for its ambitious first-person action sequences and Karl Urban’s performance, but was far from a definitive adaptation for a franchise like Doom.
The next attempt, 2019’s Doom: Annihilation, didn’t fare much better critically or commercially. The film released direct-to-video making less than $100,000 against its $5 million budget, and it sits at just a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes. The last word we heard on a Doom adaptation was a TV series announced in 2020 to be tied into Doom: Annihilation, but the project appears to have since stalled.
Particularly following the success of the game series’ 2016 reboot and follow-up Doom: Eternal, fans felt this modern, updated vision of the series could lend itself well to a fresh adaptation, but game directors confirmed they were not consulted or involved in the project.
Is Alex Garland involved in any video game adaptations?
Garland has long been involved in gaming, having served as a writer on both 2013’s DMC: Devil May Cry and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. In the same Q&A he also revealed he’s currently on his sixth new game plus run of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, so clearly his passion for gaming hasn’t waned. Fans within the Q&A were quick to speculate on the potential of an Alex Garland Bioshock film, with one commenter replying “Man an Alex Garland Bioshock movie would be amazing”.
Despite this, Garland’s production slate is busy in the years to come, so it seems he won’t be tackling his own attempt at a Bioshock or Doom film at present. In addition to his latest film Warfare, Garland has confirmed that the upcoming 28 Years Later is actually the first in a trilogy of films all to be written by him, so it’s safe to say his hands are quite full.
Given the history of the adaptation, it’s not unlikely that the Bioshock adaptation will still be in development by the time Garland completes his scripts for the trilogy, so fans can only hope the beloved series gets the adaptation it deserves.
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BioShock Remastered
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DIGITALBioShock is a shooter unlike any you've ever played, loaded with weapons and tactics never seen. You'll have a complete arsenal at your disposal from simple revolvers to grenade launchers and chemical throwers, but you'll also be forced to genetically modify your DNA to create an even more deadly weapon: you.
Features:
Museum of Orphaned Concepts
Challenge Rooms
Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock, featuring Ken Levine and Shawn Robertson
Achievements
Full Controller Support
High Resolution Textures, Models and Interface
4K Resolution Support -
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DOOM
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8 /10Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start- Released
- May 13, 2016
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- id Software
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SUBSCRIPTIONDIGITALPHYSICALDOOM returns as a brutally fun and challenging modern-day shooter experience. Relentless demons, impossibly destructive guns, and fast, fluid movement provide the foundation for intense, first-person combat – whether you’re obliterating demon hordes through the depths of Hell in the single-player campaign, or competing against your friends in numerous multiplayer modes.
Combine your arsenal of futuristic and iconic guns, upgrades, movement, and an advanced melee system to knock-down, slash, stomp, crush, and blow apart demons in creative and violent ways. Expand your gameplay experience using the DOOM SnapMap game editor to easily create, play, and share your content with the world.- Genre(s)
- FPS
