To some surprise, the Uncharted movie has actually completed filming. Of course, the videogame adaptation will take some time to finish, as they are currently deep in post-production, but Nathan drake fans can rest assured that the Uncharted movie will be in cinemas… one day.
Why were we so worried that the Uncharted movie might not happen? The project was first announced back in 2008 and has gone through more than half-a-dozen directors. That’s a lot of filmmakers! Ruben Fleischer was the man to get Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg in front of cameras. So, how did he accomplish this when so many other filmmakers failed? Strap in, as we go over everything that you need to know about the Uncharted movie.
Uncharted movie release date
Considering how the original Uncharted movie release date was all the way back in 2016, we should count our blessings that the Uncharted movie has managed to complete filming. Because, yes, initial production has concluded, and Sony has set a release date of July 16, 2021 – the initial release date for Spider-Man 3, before a move-around by the studio. That Uncharted movie release date could change, especially as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage cinemas around the world, but hopefully we will see Nathan in cinemas in 2021.
Uncharted movie trailer and first look
It’s nice to meet you, I’m Nate. #uncharted pic.twitter.com/v79Mvy26iHOctober 22, 2020
Despite initial filming having finished, we still do not have an Uncharted movie trailer. We do, however, have our very first image of Tom Holland in the leading role of Nathan Drake. As you would expect, he looks every part the young Indiana Jones. It certainly looks like the Uncharted movie will deliver on the action-adventure front.
Uncharted movie cast
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is going from one universally-loved hero to another with Uncharted’s Nathan Drake, playing a younger version of the character than seen in the games. Meanwhile, Mark Wahlberg will portray seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan, who acts as Drake’s mentor.
Dan Trachtenberg, who was set to direct the Uncharted movie until Travis Knight took over (who subsequently left the project), told GamesRadar+ that Holland’s Drake would not be as young as fans might assume given the casting. And while Trachtenberg may have left the movie, there’s a large chance his ideas may still be seen on the big screen. “[In the Uncharted movie] he might go a little bit older in a way that you realize, ‘Oh, it’s Nathan before the first game’, but it’s not like Young Nate Drake,” he said. “He’s not playing Nathan in the flashbacks. This is actually just Nathan and Sully’s first adventure.”
Other key cast members include Truth or Dare’s Sophia Taylor Ali, rumoured to play Chloe Frazer, a fellow treasure hunter who was introduced in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and led the spin-off Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The games reveal Frazer has a romantic past with Drake – could the movie show us what happened between the two?
Antonio Banderas will have a key role in the movie, playing the reported villain. There’s no word on whether the Zorro actor’s character previously appeared in the games, though rumours suggest he’s an original creation for the movie.
The primary cast is rounded out by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Tati Gabrielle, whose character is also unknown. Could she be playing Drake’s eventual wife, journalist Elena Fisher, who already has a working relationship when Drake’s Fortune kicks off? It’s implied that her documenting of Drake’s treasure-finding escapades in the games was the beginning of their partnership. If Elena does make an appearance in the Uncharted movie, it won’t likely be until the end.
Uncharted movie plot
It’s not a coincidence that Uncharted’s cast is led by actors considerably younger than the video game characters they portray. The movie will be a prequel to the game series, picking up before the events of the first game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.
It’s easy to mistake the boyish Tom Holland as much younger than he really is. Drake’s actually around 30 years old by the time Drake’s Fortune kicks off. Holland turned 24 during filming, which lines up relatively nicely as a prequel set a few years before. Likewise, Mark Wahlberg – who turned 49 years old just five days after Holland’s birthday – will play a slightly-younger Sully, who was mid-50s at the time of Drake’s Fortune.
That should clear up a lot of confusion about what timeline the movie is set to follow. This isn’t a prequel that explores Drake’s early history, but rather the events preceding Drake’s Fortune. If there are sequels, there’s a good chance they’ll either take place in the same timeline as the games or be yet closer to them than the first movie.
Uncharted movie director
There have been a few Uncharted directors… First off, David O. Russell – best known for American Hustle – was the first person attached to write and direct. Wahlberg, who worked with Russell on The Fighter, revealed during an interview with MTV in 2010 that he was excited by the director’s work, saying: “I’m obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts: Robert De Niro being my father, Joe Pesci being my uncle. It’s not going to be the watered-down version, that’s for sure.”
However, due to work beginning on Silver Linings Playbook, Russell soon left the project, and Neil Burger – coming off the back of Limitless in 2011 – was brought aboard and re-wrote the script. That placement then fell through in 2012 after Ruger went to direct the Divergent movies, and, in 2014, Seth Gordon – director of Horrible Bosses – was hired. Chris Pratt then declined the role of Nathan Drake, and Gordon left the project to helm a Baywatch movie.
Later, in 2015, a script written by David Guggenhein appeared online as part of the infamous Sony leaks. Script notes from Wahlberg asked the writers to cut back on the “buddy movie” nature “making it clearly Drake’s story” rather than one fronted by Sully and Drake. At one point, there were also three villains, though this was cut down to two.
By the time 2016 came around, Stranger Things director Shawn Levy was at the helm, until Dan Trachtenberg took over in early 2019. Bumblebee director Travis Knight assumed directorial duties from Trachtenberg in September later that year, and left in December due to Holland’s conflicting schedule filming Spider-Man 3.
Finally, after all that, Rubun Fleischer came on board in 2020. Director of both Zombieland and Venom, Fleischer completed what no-one else could – he actually filmed an Uncharted movie.
The final screenplay came from Iron Man and Men in Black: International duo Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who took over from Jonathan Rosenberg and Mark Walker. Before that, there were numerous other drafts, including ones by Agents of Shield writer Rafe Judkins (who still has a writing credit on IMDB), Bad Boys for Life’s Joe Carnahan (who called his R-rated script “a beast” with “four of the biggest, f***in’ craziest action sequences I think I’ve ever written”), and many more before them.
Uncharted movie will be a first for Sony
PlayStation Productions is a Sony subsidiary that’s signed on to produce the Uncharted movie. The studio previously produced the 2014 animated film Heavenly Sword and 2016’s Ratchet & Clank for digital release, though Uncharted is the studio’s first project slated for a wide theatrical release. PlayStation Productions is also working on the Last of Us HBO series.
