Originally announced back in 2009, the movie adaptation of the critically acclaimed Uncharted series from Naughty Dog has been in developmental hell. With multiple directors constantly being attached and then taken of, it appears the latest news is indication that the movie will officially start pre-production very soon. We have finally gotten a Nathan Drake, but not the Nathan we were expecting. Tom Holland, who most will know as the new Spider Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will get the chance to play a young version Nathan Drake in a prequel to the adventures of the series.
Inspired by the flashback sequence of Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception, this upcoming adaptation will focus on a young Nathan Drake and his first encounters with future mentor Victor Sullivan. As of now, that is all the details that have been given regarding the story. Shawn Levy, a producer and director for Stranger Things, is still on board to direct. As far as the script goes, Sony is currently seeking out a new screenwriter to write this new version of the story. This means that Joe Carnahan’s controversial script has been dropped.
Carnahan’s script had been met with mixed reception as it was announced the screenplay was intended for an R-rated adaptation of the series. Needless to say, this wasn’t well received from fans of the series considering the more PG-13 summer blockbuster tone of original four games. Personally, I’ve always been slightly against a movie adaptation of Uncharted. In my opinion, a movie adaptation of a video game that is already a cinematic experience feels unnecessary. This also goes with news of The Last of Us film adaptation, another Naughty Dog game, which is also a game with film quality cut scenes, leaving out the need for a movie.
Film adaptations of video games have been known to not be very good, but all it will take would be that one movie to change that mentality. With Nathan Drake being Sony’s star-child, I have no doubt that full effort will be made to do the series justice. As a fan of Holland’s Spider Man in the MCU, I will be a little more open minded of this adaption. Here’s to Uncharted maybe breaking the curse of video game movies.
