“Bioshock” and “Gears of War” are easily in my top three favorite video game franchises of all time. Nothing can ever quite dethrone “The Last of Us” from the No. 1 spot, but these two dystopian worlds have stuck with me and I find myself replaying them more than just about anything else.
So when I first heard Netflix was adapting them into movies, I couldn’t help but feel excited (even if my expectations were... cautiously low). For a while, though, updates were scarce, and months of radio silence had me wondering if the projects had been quietly shelved. Thankfully, both titles have gotten some encouraging news in the past few days.
Director Francis Lawrence recently told IGN: “Bioshock is still in development. I just actually just got a draft. We have a meeting with the writer [Justin Rhodes], so that's definitely a very strong possibility as well.”
He also acknowledged the uphill battle in adapting the game: “It's a tricky adaptation, so there's lots of things to figure out and to get right. There's regime changes at Netflix, and so things stall out and get re-energized and stall out and get re-energized, and I think we're in a pretty good place, honestly.”
Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter shared that “David Leitch is in negotiations to helm Gears of War.” Leitch, who is best known for “The Fall Guy,” “Atomic Blonde,” and “Bullet Train”, has a knack for slick, stylized action, which makes him a solid pick for the franchise. Netflix hasn’t commented on the deal just yet, but Leitch and his wife/producing partner Kelly McCormick are also expected to produce the movie alongside The Coalition.
These aren’t massive updates, but they confirm one crucial thing: both adaptations are still alive and moving forward. And being such a huge fan of “Bioshock” and “Gears of War,” I can’t deny that my excitement is growing.
I really want these video game adaptations to be good
I think most of us can agree that video game adaptations are usually hit or miss. Just look at movies like “Tomb Raider,” “Warcraft,” and the recent “Until Dawn” — more often than not, they just don’t land. And there are plenty more where those came from, but we’d be here all day if I tried to list them all.
On the flip side, “The Last of Us,” “Fallout,” “The Witcher,” and even “Halo” have actually done really well. What do they all have in common? They’re TV shows. I’ve said for a while now that video game adaptations tend to fare better in a show format as there’s simply more time to flesh out the world and dive deep into the characters.
That’s a big reason why blockbuster versions often fail. Which is exactly why I’m a little nervous about “Bioshock” and “Gears of War” getting the Netflix movie treatment.
It’s not that I don’t believe in the talent behind these projects, because they’re more than capable of telling great stories. It’s just that the worlds in these games are so massive and detailed, I can see how tough it would be to translate them to live-action.
The underwater city of Rapture and the fictional planet Sera are practically characters themselves. Their scale and intricate lore would be incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to fully capture in live-action without losing what makes them special. Honestly, maybe some games just aren’t meant for that format. I’d be just as happy seeing them adapted as adult animated series instead.
Since Netflix first confirmed a “Bioshock” movie back in 2022, quite a few things have changed, and that includes the budget. During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, producer Roy Lee said: “The new regime has lowered the budgets. So we’re doing a much smaller version. It’s going to be a more personal point of view, as opposed to a grander, big project.”
The limited budget does have me a bit concerned that it could limit the movie’s ability to fully bring this world to life, possibly making it feel less immersive. Still, I’m holding onto some hope, especially knowing that Lawrence has drawn inspiration from “The Shining” for this “BioShock” adaptation.
As I mentioned earlier, TV shows clearly tend to work better. And while Netflix is adapting “Gears of War” into a movie, it’s also developing an animated series which I’m much more optimistic about. There aren’t any details yet, but I’m confident the show will do a lot better than the live-action take.
All that said, I’m still genuinely excited for these movies, even if I’m a little hesitant because these games are some of my absolute favorites. Honestly, I’d rather wait a few more years if it means they get the focus and polish they deserve. Netflix, I just have one wish: Would you kindly do these video game adaptations justice?
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