A few years ago, Guillermo del Toro wanted to adapt BioShock into a movie, but he’d already had enough of the project even during the planning stages.
Fantasy and horror director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) spoke with IGN about how he was once involved in plans to adapt the first-person shooter masterpiece BioShock into a movie. But after a few disastrous phone calls, he decided to distance himself completely from the project.
Hell, No!
It’s been known for several years now that Guillermo del Toro was in talks to adapt BioShock for the big screen. But why it never happened remained a mystery. Now the filmmaker is offering a little insight into why the project fell through.
You know, I tried. We had a pretty serious conversation about a few games. I think the dynamics of a video game are very different from those of a movie. From a cinematic perspective, they’re similar in terms of camera work and things like that, but the storytelling is completely different because you’re not solving puzzles. You’re not piecing things together.
(…) You have to create the illusion of an infinite sandbox and guide the audience to the right or left through their own decisions, but essentially, you have to push them in a certain direction. That’s something entirely different.
And as for the BioShock adaptation: We had a few phone calls. Those were probably some of the most disastrous conversations I’ve ever had. Hell, no!
While Guillermo del Toro doesn’t provide a specific reason, the subtext suggests that the fundamental creative visions for a video game adaptation likely diverged widely among those in charge.
To date, no film adaptation of BioShock has been produced. Reportedly, a new attempt is set to launch on Netflix in 2027.
Not the first bad experience with video games
In 2010, it was announced that Guillermo del Toro was working with publisher THQ and Saints Row developer Volition on a horror game called Insane. The release was originally planned for 2013, but the game was scrapped in 2012. No reason was ever given for this decision. Since THQ filed for bankruptcy five months later, finances likely played a major role.
The entire experience was so harrowing for del Toro that the gaming fan declared he never wanted to develop a video game himself again.
