An underwater city, a failed utopia, genetic modification, and people making catastrophically bad decisions are all a perfect recipe for what Hollywood needs. But, apparently, agreeing on how to make the movie is where things get complicated.
This week on LagginOut, the crew discussed Guillermo del Toro’s account of talks about a BioShock adaptation falling apart. Disagreements over storytelling and a disastrous phone call. The panel also discussed an apparent misunderstanding over the word “no”.
On paper, del Toro and Rapture sound like a reasonable match. His work on Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy gives fans plenty of reason to imagine what he could do with an unsettling underwater city. The atmosphere, creatures, and general sense that everyone should have left several hours ago are certainly in his territory.
The panel recognized that potential while raising a fair question: would the movie capture what makes BioShock work beyond its appearance?
The discussion turned into the familiar back and forth about video game adaptations. How much can Hollywood change before it’s simply borrowing a recognizable title? A director can have a strong visual style and still miss what made the game worth adapting. Has definitely happened before.
Sonic and Mario came up as examples the everyone felt worked, with more room to build stories around familiar characters. Fallout offered another approach of telling a new story within an already established universe. Then there was Halo, which received roughly the welcome you’d expect from this group.
That distinction matters for BioShock. Exploring Rapture is part of how the player uncovers its story and the setting does more than provide somewhere attractive to shoot things. A film would need to make that discovery work for an audience watching from a seat. Compressing the plot and pointing a camera at a diving helmet won’t automatically do it.
Naturally, live-action Zelda entered the conversation, too. Once you start talking about adaptations, somebody is going to check on the next beloved franchise in the queue.
Could del Toro have make a good BioShock movie? Possibly. The crew remained skeptical, and an unrealized project leaves plenty of room for both optimism and relief.
For now, Rapture gets to keep its existing problems. Hollywood can wait its turn.
Other Topics Covered This Live:
- Flash reviews Lanterns
- Crimson Desert
- Candy Corn Pizza
- Chieftain’s Camper Corner: The mammoth project prompted questions about genetic engineering and whether Jurassic Park had been mistaken for an instructional video.
- Hiro’s Hard Drive: Thieves reportedly stole Nvidia-branded trailers and discovered roughly 40,000 pounds of sand. Congratulations on the beach.
- Kitsune’s AI Zone and trivia: Power Rangers transformations, a debate over Ranger colors, and Curvy’s request to become the burnt sienna Ranger.
- Kitsune’s Lorekeeper’s Den: An animated romance involving a Swedish diplomat and a North Korean traffic officer sparked discussion about its premise and international release.
- Death Scroll Memes: Gaming jokes, Star Trek references, Italian food puns, and questionable AI text.
- Women of LOE: Louisville Cardinals apparel. *Pronunciation assistance included.
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