It's finally happening - the long-rumored Blade Runner 2049.
With the movie now actively in pre-production, fans of the series will be anxiously waiting to see what direction Netflix goes with it. One thing that the movie version of Bioshock needs to get right is the depth and complexity of the series' many great characters. From the megalomaniacal creator of Rapture to the hulking Big Daddies that patrol its flooded corridors, there are many Bioshock characters that the movie needs to include.
Andrew Ryan
Seeing as the Bioshock movie is set to thrust audiences into the underwater halls of Rapture, it's essential that Rapture's creator Andrew Ryan is featured. One of the most important characters in the Bioshock universe, Andrew Ryan created Rapture as an Objectivist paradise for the world's best and brightest. Ultimately, his dream of Rapture collapsed as civil war consumed the city.
Ryan is a complex character with real motivations stemming from his upbringing in the Russian Empire, particularly after the Communist Bolsheviks took power and collectivized his family's business. A Bioshock movie without his presence would be a tragedy.
Big Daddies & Little Sisters
Any Bioshock adaptation must include the Big Daddies and Little Sisters, the most iconic characters in the series. First appearing in the original Bioshock, the hulking mechanized Big Daddies and their Little Sister dependents stalk the halls of Rapture, reclaiming ADAM from the dead bodies of Rapture's citizens.
The backstory of Big Daddies and Little Sisters is one of the most tragic and heartbreaking parts of the Bioshock universe. Because of their origins, many people will empathize with them, especially as other characters attempt to restore them to their human form. And even though the overuse of the storytelling may have ruined the Bioshock game in its gameplay, it would be totally fitting for a movie format.
Frank Fontaine/Atlas
One of the primary antagonists of the Bioshock series, Frank Fontaine is the archenemy of Andrew Ryan in the battle for Rapture. Fontaine was responsible for the creation of Plasmids, the Little Sisters, and the Big Daddies, through his company Fontaine Futuristics.
After faking his death following a battle with Ryan's soldiers, Fontaine reappeared in Rapture as Atlas, an Irish proletariat hero of the disgruntled Rapture masses. It's the charming voice of Atlas that guides players in the original Bioshock, and the revelation about his identity is one of the game's most shocking twists.
Sander Cohen
One of the most iconic villains of the original Bioshock, every player re their first journey through Fort Frolic, Sander Cohen's artistic domain. Cohen is a multi-talented artist, famed in Rapture for his paintings, sculptures, and musicals.
During Bioshock's events, Cohen becomes disillusioned and tasks the player with killing each of his disciples, so he can display them prominently as part of his art project "Cohen's Quadtych." Cohen's colorful characterization and grotesque obsession make him a perfect character for the big screen treatment in the Bioshock movie.
Yi Suchong
Yi Suchong doesn't directly appear in the Bioshock series, outside a flashback moment in Burial At Sea. Instead, people learn about the scientist through audio recordings. Suchong worked with Fontaine at Fontaine Futuristics, where he developed the mental conditioning for the Little Sisters, ensuring they "gather" ADAM throughout the city. He also worked on developing the Big Daddies to protect the Little Sisters.
Suchong was also involved in Fontaine's "ace in the hole" weapon "Jack," the player character of the original game. It was Suchong that brainwashed Jack and implanted the "Would You Kindly" trigger, one of the most iconic quotes from the original Bioshock. A character with no morals, Suchong is a crucial character that needs to appear in the Bioshock movie.
Brigid Tenenbaum
Brigid Tenenbaum is one of the most significant characters in Bioshock, as she discovered ADAM and created the Little Sisters to harvest it for commercial use with Fontaine Futuristics. Haunted by the reality of her creation, Tenenbaum eventually turned on Fontaine and Ryan. Instead, she dedicated herself to saving the Little Sisters and turning them back into little girls.
Throughout the Bioshock series, she is one of the few characters that show genuine remorse for her actions. Hence, she would be a great character for the film due to her complex and nuanced character arc, as she seeks redemption for her wrongdoings. It is also one of the case where a player's choice in a game didn't matter as Tenebaum was bond to save them as part of her story.
The Luteces
Robert and Rosalind Lutece are quantum physicists that appear in Bioshock: Infinite. They first appear at the beginning of the game, taking the player to the lighthouse and producing some strange moments. It's ultimately revealed that the two are, in fact, alternative versions of the same person from parallel universes.
The Lutece's work on tear-manipulation ultimately led the pair to aid Bioshock: Infinite's villain Zachary Comstock in his creation of Columbia. The pair function as instigators of many of the series' most important events, and it's important that they appear in the movie as well.
Sofia Lamb
Sofia Lamb appears as the primary antagonist in Bioshock 2. Lamb's philosophical ideals of altruism clashed with Ryan's objectivist belief, leading to Lamb's imprisonment. After Ryan's death at the end of the first Bioshock game, Lamb leveraged the control of her group, "The Rapture Family," and took control of the city.
Although ideologically opposed to Ryan, Lamb's own philosophy ultimately becomes just as corrupted as his. Lamb, like Ryan, suffers from a messiah complex, believing herself to be the only one that can save the masses of Rapture.
Elizabeth
As one-half of the two primary main characters of Bioshock: Infinite, Elizabeth is another character central to the mythology of the Bioshock universe. Her ability to open tears and travel the multiverse plays a key role in the events of Infinite and its DLC Burial at Sea.
If the Bioshock movie is to honor the time-bending nature that the Bioshock universe is built on, Elizabeth must make an appearance. The game's time-traveling aspects made it the best of its kind on top of its already philosophical elements in the storytelling.
Jack
Probably, one of the most difficult characters to bring to life in the Bioshock movies would be Jack, the mute central protagonist of the original Bioshock game. As Andrew Ryan's son, Jack was genetically manipulated by Fontaine. Things took a deep turn when the events of Burial at Sea revealed the importance of Jack's character to the overall series.
If the Bioshock movie is going to be primarily set in Rapture, it would be wise to have Jack as the main character. He sets the stages for the Bioshock universe to develop the mythos and characters that circle back to Jack's backstory and relation to the Rapture.
