Two Endings, One Masterpiece: How Gore Verbinski’s Canceled ‘BioShock’ Movie Would Have “Messed With Your Head”

For years, fans of the BioShock franchise have mourned the “what could have been” regarding Gore Verbinski’s ambitious film adaptation. Recently, the Pirates of the Caribbean director shared mind-bending new details about his vision, specifically how he planned to handle the game’s famous branching morality.

In a recent Reddit AMA, Verbinski revealed that his film wouldn’t have just picked one conclusion; it would have somehow incorporated both of the game’s diametrically opposed endings into a single cinematic experience.

A Narrative “Splicing” of Endings

In the original 2007 game, players’ choices regarding the Little Sisters lead to either a “Good” ending (redemption and family) or a “Bad” ending (power and world-dominating violence). Verbinski, working alongside Gladiator and Skyfall writer John Logan, found a way to bridge this gap.

“I had worked out a way with writer John Logan to have both endings,” Verbinski noted. “I was looking forward to bringing that to the big screen and really fucking with people’s heads.”

While he didn’t reveal the exact mechanics of the script, he hinted at a “feint” toward a happy ending followed by an “unleashed version.” The goal was to leave the audience questioning the protagonist’s choices—and their own perspective—much like the game’s famous “Would you kindly?” twist.

The “Hard R” Vision for Rapture

Verbinski wasn’t just interested in the endings; he was committed to the “Oedipal aspect” and the brutal reality of the underwater city of Rapture. His pitch was famously uncompromising:

• An Adults-Only Rating: He insisted on a “Hard R” to accurately portray the horror of the Little Sisters and the gory consequences of ADAM usage.
• Massive Scale: The director planned for a $200 million budget, which included building functioning underwater sets and complex animatronics for the Big Daddies.
• Demented Aesthetic: The film would have leaned heavily into the “demented art-deco” look that made the game an instant classic.

Why It Never Saw the Light of Day

The project famously collapsed just eight weeks before shooting was set to begin. According to Verbinski, the $200 million price tag combined with an R-rating was a pill no studio was willing to swallow at the time—especially following the box office struggle of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen in 2009, which made studios nervous about expensive, R-rated genre films.

The Legacy of a Lost Masterpiece

While Verbinski’s version remains one of Hollywood’s greatest “lost” films, the BioShock brand is far from dead. Netflix is currently in the process of developing its own adaptation. However, with Verbinski’s recent revelations about “messing with people’s heads,” fans can’t help but wonder if any future version will ever be as daring as the one that almost was.

For now, we are left with the haunting imagery of a Rapture that was nearly built—and a director who wanted to give us every ending at once.