Even at the best of times, pitching an R-rated movie to film executives isn’t exactly an easy sell.
Seasonal exemptions for slasher and horror flicks exempted, expanding a film’s appeal to as wide of an audience as possible is always going to be the most reliable method of returning on investment, especially when the subject matter in question is already a risque venture. Despite the recent spate of success enjoyed by the likes of Detective Pikachu and Sonic The Hedgehog, video game adaptations are, historically speaking, a very bad idea. Combine both of those less than ideal prospects together, then, and the result is always going to be scepticism.
The Ring and Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski found this out the hard way back in 2017 when Universal decided to pull the plug on his BioShock movie just prior to shooting. Verbinski commented at the time, stating that he believed the cancellation was the result of several factors, chief among them being his firm stance on maintaining an R-rating and a rapidly escalating price tag.
Perceptions appear to have changed over the three years since, however, as we’ve recently learned from our sources – the same ones who told us National Treasure 3 was in development and Han was returning to the Fast & Furious franchise – that Universal has dredged the oceans and resurrected BioShock from its watery grave.
Unfortunately, details on this one are extremely light as of writing, meaning we’ve yet to learn just how much (if any) of Verbinski’s original vision will be salvaged or, for that matter, if he’ll even return as director. As always, it’s worth noting, too, that development doesn’t indicate active production. There’s always the chance that Universal will decide the same mistake has been made twice and send BioShock back to the depths. In any case, we’ll be sure to let you know of any developments as and when they arise.
As for its native medium, publisher Take-Two Interactive recently confirmed that BioShock 4 is finally happening, with development being handled by newly-founded studio Cloud Chamber. See here for everything we know so far about the mysterious project.
