For those of you who won’t know, Bioshock is a video game developed by 2K games. It blends first-person shooter and survival-horror elements, and for its time it was pretty much a masterpiece. Some would say it still is.
You are Jack, a man whose plane crashes in the middle of the ocean. Instead of dying, Jack discovers the underwater city of Rapture, designed by visionary business tycoon Andrew Ryan. It was envisioned as a utopia, where mankind’s greatest minds could thrive free of any and all restrictions. No laws. No government. “No Gods or Kings -- only Man.”
Unfortunately, these same rules led to Rapture’s societal collapse. By the time Jack gets there, the place is a dystopia overrun by schizophrenic murderers and genetic freaks. Jack himself becomes embroiled in a civil war between two figureheads: the tyrannical Andrew Ryan and the mysterious “Atlas.”
Now let me just say, I think Bioshock is perfect the way it is. If it were actually being made into a movie, I’d probably feel really apprehensive about it. That being said ... if there was going to be a Bioshock movie, this is how I’d like to see it made.
Ben Waisbren - Executive Producer
Ben Waisbren has served as Executive Producer on a number of great, daring films, from V for Vendetta to Blood Diamond.
Park Chan-wook - Producer
Director of the South Korean cult classic Oldboy, who specializes in bizarre, audacious filmmaking. He was also one of the producers at the helm of 2013’s Snowpiercer.
Ken Levine - Producer
Ken Levine was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the entire Bioshock series, serving as creative director and lead writer. He knows these stories better than anyone else on the planet.
John Logan - Screenwriter
John Logan is quite possibly one of the most successful screenwriters in Hollywood today. He was previously attached to Gore Verbinski’s Bioshock film, which never quite panned out. Having written Gladiator, Skyfall, The Last Samurai, and a number of other award-winning films, I’d love to see Logan’s script for Bioshock.
Bong Joon-ho - Director
Director of the bizarre indie action-thriller Snowpiercer. Despite my mixed feelings toward that movie, I can’t deny that Joon-ho is an impressive and intriguing new director. Tonally, he'd be a perfect fit for Bioshock, and I think he’d make a much leaner and less bloated film than Gore Verbinski could have.
Jeff Cronenweth - Cinematographer
Cronenweth is the cinematographer behind some of David Fincher’s best movies, including Fight Club and The Social Network. I think he’d be able to capture the grim, grimy bleakness of Rapture like few others could.
Sebastian Stan as Jack
I’d seen Sebastian Stan in action before, but he first caught my attention in the fantastic Captain America: The Winter Soldier. His performance in that movie proved to me that he is leading-man material. Since Jack was a mute, (mostly) faceless protagonist in the game, I’d love to see a more in-depth portrayal of the character on the big screen.
John Slattery as Andrew Ryan
John Slattery is best known for playing alcoholic advertising executive Roger Sterling in AMC’s Mad Men. He plays the part of “likable asshole” brilliantly, and that’s exactly what Andrew Ryan is. He’s a megalomaniac, for sure, but he’s also brilliant and brimming with charisma.
...I’m talking about Andrew Ryan here, not John Slattery.
Tom Sizemore as Frank Fontaine
“Atlas”
Best known for his roles as tough-guy soldiers on Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, Tom Sizemore has the perfect voice and presence to play the role of criminal mastermind Frank Fontaine. A brilliant conman, Fontaine masquerades as the benevolent revolutionary “Atlas,” but his true intention is to become the sole ruler of Rapture.
Tilda Swinton as Brigid Tenenbaum
Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum is a geneticist responsible for the creation of the monstrous “Little Sisters,” a core component of Rapture’s demise. Tilda Swinton played the villainous Mason in Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer, and I’d love to see her work with the director again.
Crispin Glover as J.S. Steinman
Crispin Glover is probably one of the creepiest actors I can imagine off the top of my head, and J.S. Steinman is one of the creepiest characters in Bioshock. A surgeon who likens himself to Picasso, Steinman enjoys turning his own patients into “works of art.”
And, well, he’s kind of a whacko...
Frances McDormand as Julie Langford
Julie Langford is a botanist responsible for Arcadia, the garden that supplies oxygen to the city of Rapture. Frances McDormand is a wonderful actress who could make Julie Langford a very quirky, likable character, even for the small role she would play.
Steve Buscemi as Sander Cohen
Of all the nuts in Rapture, Sander Cohen is one of the nuttiest. Dolled up in makeup and obsessed with rabbits, Cohen enjoys creating "art masterpieces" -- by murdering people and turning them into cement statues. Steve Buscemi is one of my favorite actors, and would be amazing as such a bizarre and twisted character.
James Hong as Yi Suchong
(Voice)
Despite having been dead since before the events of the game, Dr. Yi Suchong is nevertheless a key piece of the plot. He would likely only appear in voice, through various audio logs. James Hong has basically the exact same accent and inflections as Suchong, so he’d be perfect for this small (but memorable) role.
And that’s all I've got for now, folks. What do you think? Would you like to see a Bioshock film? Why or why not? Leave a comment below ... would you kindly?