--- title: 'Guillermo del Toro on Why His Bioshock Movie Never Happened' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=bQTgefOTmTs' video_id: 'bQTgefOTmTs' date: 2026-10-01 duration_sec: 318 channel: 'IGN' --- # Guillermo del Toro on Why His Bioshock Movie Never Happened > Source: [Guillermo del Toro on Why His Bioshock Movie Never Happened](https://youtube.com/watch?v=bQTgefOTmTs) ## Summary In this interview, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro discusses his complex relationship with video games, from his past development experiences to his current gaming habits. He explains why he will never work on a video game again, shares his admiration for game designer Hideo Kojima, and reveals his favorite games, including Left 4 Dead, Death Stranding, and Angry Birds. ### Key Points - **Never Working on a Video Game Again** [00:12] — Del Toro confirms he will never work on a video game again, citing the high ambitions and challenges of the medium, referencing his experience with the game 'Insane'. - **Admiration for Hideo Kojima** [00:54] — Del Toro praises Kojima as a pure artist focused on stories, comparing him to Renaissance figures and James Cameron. He values their time together over the games themselves. - **Adapting Video Games to Movies** [01:49] — Del Toro attempted to adapt 'Bioshock' into a film but found the dynamics of video game storytelling fundamentally different from movies, leading to disastrous calls and the project's cancellation. - **Best Video Games Ever Made** [03:01] — Del Toro lists 'Left 4 Dead' as a favorite shooter, 'Death Stranding' for making him cry, 'Shadow of the Colossus' for introspection, and 'Bioshock' as a world he could get lost in. - **Recent Gaming Preferences** [03:39] — Del Toro enjoys 'Dead Cells' but hates respawning mechanics, jokingly requesting a version without them for older players. He also recommends 'Castlevania' and 'Journey'. - **Guilty Pleasure: Angry Birds** [04:43] — Del Toro reveals he plays Angry Birds daily, having achieved a perfect score on every level, a surprising admission given his connoisseur status. ### Conclusion Del Toro's relationship with video games is one of admiration from a distance, appreciating the artistry and storytelling while rejecting the medium's interactive demands. His gaming tastes range from high-concept titles to casual mobile games, reflecting a playful and open-minded approach. ## Transcript You are a huge fan of video games, which I've always loved about you. I think it's so cool. Yeah. And you sort of famously tried to get a couple of games going. Oh yeah, I'm the albatross of video games. But around 11 years ago, I think at Comic-Con actually, you said you never wanted to work on a video game again. Yeah, never again. Has that changed at all? No, not at all. Wow. No, not at all, because it's simply too... We developed it on sane. Mm-hmm, you know and then that went down a lot of the ideas later I saw stuff that was done in other video games that was similar and I went well somebody did it. That's great But we were we were aiming really high Were you ever able to sort of in the same way your unmade movies like cherry pick some of those video game ideas and put Them in your movies. No, no, no, no I mean with Kojima I had an idea that he didn't use that I hope to use in a different media someday But with Hideo, the great thing is to go to karaoke and shabu-shabu. If the game happens or not, it's immaterial. He knows very good restaurants. Dinner and karaoke is number one. I love that man. I love that man. He is one of those guys you meet that you go, you might as well be in the Renaissance You in front of a pure artist And he cares about one thing stories That it I love that Jim Cameron same thing Same thing. Oh, but yeah, but like with two guns and a belt of bullets, you know. You've created tons of original stories, but you've also played in other people's sandboxes, sort of with adaptations, classic stuff like Pinocchio and Frankenstein. You don't want to make a video game ever. We'll close that door for good, but would you ever adapt a video game story into a movie? You know, I try. We have a very contentious call about, you know, a couple of games. I find that the dynamics of the video game are very different than a movie. Right. They may be cinematically similar in terms of the camera moving and this and that, But the storytelling is very different because you're not solving puzzles. You're not assembling. You know, when we made the structure for Unsane, you know, we created what I call a mandala. You have to give the illusion of an infinite sandbox. And you lead audiences to the right or to the left through their own decisions quote unquote But you sort of have to corner them So it a very different thing So adapting it you know Bioshock we had a couple of calls and you know they are probably one of the most disastrous calls I've ever had. So no, no, I'm f***ing no. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well. What's the best video game ever made? They're so different. I mean, Shooter, I love Left 4 Dead. Yeah. Death Stranding made me cry. Shadow of the Colossus made me introspect about so many introspective things. So many introspective things. There's not only one, Bioshock. It's a world I could get lost in for ages. you know what's the most recent great video game that you've played you know i'm i'm more into uh like not necessarily on the console game like dead cells was really interesting to me i just hate respawning i i because you get only 35 levels yep and then you start again and you get faster but please please do a version without responding for the for the older for the elderly players please give us a way to come back life is short I don't want to keep responding I'm available contact me and send it to me please I beg you I like the world great design I think you'd like Castlevania that's that's kind of yeah I've never played this that's what you're looking for it's dead cells but you don't have to start from the beginning every time. Really? Yes. Well, there's a lot of games I have not played. So you can recommend. I will get you a list. Journey. Journey's amazing. Amazing. What a, oh my God, what a bite. Monument Valley. Oh my, yes. These are worlds that I love to, like, and then every day of my life, every moment I have free, I'm still playing Angry Birds. Angry Birds? I'm really good at it. I'm really good at it. Guillermo, you could have given me a thousand guesses and I would not have pinned you as an Angry Birds guy. It's not exactly a connoisseur choice, but every day is ridiculous. It's like I just go, let me hit this. I won all the stars, a perfect game on every level they ever put out. you