Summary

• The BioShock movie will be faithful to the game's canon, providing relief to fans who are excited about seeing Rapture in live-action.
• While the movie will stay true to the source material, there will be "little twists" that surprise fans, a strategy that successful video game adaptations have utilized.
• Game accuracy is crucial to the movie's success, as BioShock's well-plotted story and unique elements already provide a strong foundation for a film adaptation.

Recent reports have confirmed a crucial BioShock movie decision — one that's actually just what the video game's fans have needed to hear to inspire faith in the long-awaited adaptation. Published by 2K and helmed by creative lead Ken Levine, 2007's BioShock is set in an alternate version of 1960. Jack, the player-controlled character, stumbles upon the now-defunct underwater city of Rapture, which was established by American business magnate Andrew Ryan as a refuge for society's elite. Completely isolated, the supposed underwater utopia served as a means for the elite to pursue arts and sciences outside of government control and, as Ryan puts it, outside "petty morality."

As Jack soon learns, a lot of factors led to Rapture's decline, but chief among them was the discovery of ADAM. A byproduct of ocean floor-dwelling sea slugs, ADAM-based serums alter s' genes, granting them superhuman abilities. Just as ADAM-obsessives began to unhinge as a result of the serums, Rapture's wealth disparities reached a breaking point, prompting a working-class faction to rise up against Ryan and his ers. This conflict culminated in a Rapture-destroying assault on New Year's Eve of 1958, turning the underwater city into a barren dystopia just ahead of Jack's arrival. Now, Netflix's BioShock movie will adapt this game mythology.

The BioShock Movie Won't Break Canon

Lauded for its world-building, 20th-century pastiche, and philosophical underpinnings, BioShock is often heralded as one of the best games ever made. The series-launching first installment has all the trappings of a fully-realized sci-fi horror film, so it's no surprise that BioShock is on its way to becoming a Netflix movie. Thankfully, the BioShock movie's faithfulness was addressed by director Francis Lawrence, with the filmmaker firmly stating, "We're not breaking canon." News that the movie will be game-accurate is surely a relief to the video game's fans, especially since seeing Rapture in live-action is an exciting (albeit daunting) prospect.

However, even though Lawrence promises a movie that's incredibly faithful to the source material, the filmmaker didn't rule out changes altogether, noting that there are "little twists that will surprise fans." It's a strategy that other successful video-game adaptations have taken to heart lately; while HBO's The Last of Us remained true to the series' canon, it also expanded upon characters' stories and made tweaks that played into the new medium's strengths. In addition to promising that the film boasts a "really good script," Lawrence assured fans that the twists "all fit in" with BioShock's existing canon. Needless to say, the thoughtful approach seems to be a solid one.

Why Game Accuracy Is So Important To The BioShock Movie's Success

When BioShock was released in 2007, it became an instant hit. Not only was the blend of role-playing and first-person shooter elements novel, but the game's provocative story intrigued players. From Rapture's art deco design to Andrew Ryan's fascinating, historically rich characterization to the story's larger moral questions, BioShock is a well-plotted, singular vision. Like The Last of Us, BioShock's story doesn't need tweaking; all the elements are there, they just need to be adapted to the silver screen. Not only does faithfulness to the game generate goodwill from fans, but, given the source material's strength, it also all but ensures the BioShock movie's success.