ABioshockmovie was, at one point, nothing more than a dream. In a surprising turn of events, however, an announcement made in February 2022 would not only confirm the film’s ongoing development but that it would do so under the Netflix banner, promising a no-holds-barred adaptation free from the kind of corporate meddling that tarnished video game adaptations in the past. Since then, the only other major announcement came in August, confirming thatFrancis Lawrence will be directingand Michael Green will be writing the film.
Now, according toGiant Freakin' Robot, the face ofJohn WickandThe Matrixis allegedly in talks to play the lead role in Netflix’sBioshock. If you played the games, you’d know that this is an… “interesting” proposal, to say the least. The games wouldn’t receive a protagonist with a prominent voice until the series' third entry,Bioshock Infinite, leaving many to wonder what a charismatic type like Keanu Reeves could bring to the role. Then again, in making the transition to film, maybe a charismatic lead is exactly what’s needed. Either way, we’re left wondering: is Keanu Reeves really a good fit for theBioshockmovie?
Bioshock is Full of Big Personalities
To say thatBioshockdoesn’t have memorable characters would be a lie, frankly. Fromthe maniacal artist Sander Cohen and witty Lutece Twins to the business-savvy Andrew Ryan and altruistic Sofia Lamb,Bioshocklives and dies based on its powerful characters. The freedom that the underwater city Rapture offered brought out both the best and absolute worst of its residents, with many going insane due to the prominence of gene-splicing super-serums called “plasmids.” With big personalities, bigger wallets, and near-superhuman powers, the characters ofBioshocklend themselves well to being adapted to film. They have clear motivations, histories, and personalities that play off each other in compelling ways.
Related:BioShock Movie: What We Hope to See In the Netflix Adaptation
Keanu Reeves' filmographyarguably gives him the chops necessary to survive Rapture with his wits intact. He has performed in game-related media before, for one thing. We’ve seen Reeves perform in thehighly-anticipatedCyberpunk 2077, where he was heavily involved in both the game’s story and the marketing campaign. As for films, we’ve seen him play a happy-go-lucky dude inBill and Ted’s Excellent Adventureand revert to stone-faced seriousness inSpeed. On top of that, Reeves is practicallysynonymous with action filmsnow. If Reeves is confirmed for the role, it’s not as if he would be woefully miscast based on his prior experience.
We can reasonably assume that Netflix is adapting the firstBioshockgame for the film, given that the game’s setting of Rapture has already been confirmed. But there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.Bioshockutilized a silent protagonist. The character of Jack was a vessel for the player, and the story of Rapture both from the past and in the present is largely fed to you through those characters mentioned previously. Naturally, you can’t have a protagonist who doesn’t react to the world around them.
Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as you’d think. “Just make Jack talk,” right? Well, how would he talk? Would he be heroic? Would he be rugged? How exactly do you determine what kind of performance is needed for a character that’s largely shaped by the player’s actions? Jack’s choice of weaponry, plasmids, and morality are all determined by a force outside his control, both in-game and outside of it. With that understood, do we have any kind of basis for Keanu Reeves to build a performance off of?
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All we really have to go on is how Jack was depicted in theBurial at Seaexpansion forBioshock Infinite, which effectively made the “good” ending ofBioshockcanon. Therefore, we can reasonably expect that Reeves would give Jack a performance similar to that of his previous action roles. While Jack isn’t a super-assassin, he’s commonly seen using a wrench in tandem with an arsenal of powerful firearms. That, combined with his plasmids, makes him as capable a protagonist as Neo or John Constantine.
Is Keanu Reeves a Good Fit?
It’s hard to say if Keanu Reeves is a perfect fit for theBioshockmovie. It’ll primarily be determined by how closely the film will follow the game’s story. The structure ofBioshockdoesn’t lend itself to film without some minor adjustments Open, interconnected areas that promote exploration and the extensive usage of audio logs are all handled at the player’s own leisure, and within the time constraints of a film’s standard runtime, we can likely expect the game’s main plot beats and a handful of smaller moments to be condensed into something more linear.
Should we follow this format, being a linear representation ofBioshock’skey moments, Keanu Reeves wouldn’t be a terrible choice for the protagonist role. Sure, Reeves would look strange rocking the same vintage sweater that Jack is usually pictured in, but it’s likely that we’ll see some minor alterations to Jack alongside changes to pacing. Worst case scenario, we can write off the whole film as abizarre alternate universe, as they were established throughBioshock Infinite’smultiple retcons.
As long as Reeves plays Jack instead of himself, it wouldn’t be the most absurd casting choice in video game media. Mark Wahlbergas Max Payne, Dennis Hopper as King Koopa (Bowser), and even Chris Pratt’s Mario were all questionable casting choices, with some working far better than others in the final product. While Reeves' involvement in the film isn’t finalized yet, we wouldn’t necessarily object to seeing him take on the underwater city in all its glory.
