Hunger Games Director Hopes GTA 6 Won't Distract You from Sunrise on the Reaping

Francis Lawrence, director of Netflix's BioShock movie, recently chatted with IGN about his all-time favorite video games, and it's clear he knows his stuff. You might recognize Lawrence from his work on The Hunger Games films—he's directed nearly all of them, including the upcoming prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, set to hit theaters this November. Now, with a string of blockbuster adaptations under his belt, Lawrence is at the helm of the live-action BioShock movie for Netflix, a project that's been in the works for almost 20 years. As a self-proclaimed fan of the series, we had to ask about his favorite games. "Well, the big ones for me were Metal Gear Solid, BioShock, and Call of Duty," he said. "I'd say the original GTA. I don't think I played beyond the original GTA, but the original one was pretty wild when it came out, the technology of it. But I think those were all kind of my favorites." When we mentioned the impending release of GTA 6—arguably the most technologically advanced game in the franchise and one of the most anticipated pop culture events ever—Lawrence lamented how close its launch is to Sunrise on the Reaping. "Unfortunately, I think it comes out right around the same time our movie does. Hopefully, people find time for both. Play GTA, go see our movie, play more GTA," he joked. We also discussed his BioShock movie, which he said was initially brought to him by Gore Verbinski back in 2009. However, due to scheduling conflicts, he couldn't take the project at the time. Guillermo del Toro was later in talks to direct, but according to Lawrence, del Toro "didn't see eye-to-eye" with the game's creator. Del Toro's account, however, was far less diplomatic. "We had a very contentious call about a couple of games," he told us during our IGN30 Icons interview series. "...So adapting BioShock, we had a couple of calls. They are probably one of the most disastrous calls I've ever had. So no, f**k no." Lawrence is also preparing to direct a film adaptation of Red Rising, a young adult book series by author Pierce Brown. That project, too, has been stuck in development limbo, but finally found a home at Paramount with a writer attached to pen the script.