Gore Verbinski’s BioShock film aimed to incorporate both endings, but studios weren’t ready to take that creative leap.

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Director Gore Verbinski has shared more about his unrealized adaptation of BioShock, including how the film would have tackled the game’s two choice-based endings.

During a Reddit AMA for his upcoming film, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, Verbinski revealed that the movie would maintain a “hard R” rating with the Little Sisters and incorporate both of the game’s contrasting endings, which involve either sacrificing or saving the Little Sisters.

“I had worked out a way with writer John Logan to have both endings,” Verbinski explained. “I was excited to bring that to the big screen and really mess with people’s heads.”

Verbinski was initially set to adapt BioShock for Universal back in 2008, following the success of his Pirates trilogy. The project reportedly hit a snag due to his ambition to create a functioning underwater rail transport system for the film. Five years later, he directed The Lone Ranger, which featured a significant scene on a real moving train. After a change in directors, the project was ultimately shelved by former Irrational Games head Ken Levine, who felt the adaptation wasn’t a good fit.

In the AMA, Verbinski also discussed his vision for the film, stating it would have explored the Oedipal themes of the story while remaining true to the original game’s iconic art style. “We had some fantastic designs for the Big Daddies and the entire underwater, twisted art-deco aesthetic. Every year I hear something about the project, but I’m not sure any studio is ready to go where I wanted to take it.”

Since Verbinski’s departure, progress on the BioShock adaptation has been slow. Francis Lawrence, known for his work on the Hunger Games series, is currently attached to direct a BioShock movie for Netflix, but there has been little movement since the project was announced in 2022. Last year, producer Roy Lee mentioned that the script would “definitely” be based on the first game and is still in development.

After 16 years in development limbo, the BioShock movie still lacks a release date.