It has been about 10 years since it was first reported that a seemingly doomed film adaptation of the “Uncharted” video game series was to be made by David O. Russell (“Joy”) and starring Mark Wahlberg (“Instant Family”). However, this project soon fell apart and was completely rewritten by none other than “The A-Team” remake’s Joe Carnahan, whose script has been described as R-rated, something that is completely unnecessary. Anyone who has played the video game knows that it would make for a perfect PG-13 movie. Complete with very mild violence and the occasional curse word, “Uncharted” would fit perfectly in the recent crowd of superhero summer blockbusters for the whole family.
Since Carnahan’s involvement, Tom Holland (“Onward”) has been cast as what is obviously a younger version of Nathan Drake, already signifying the film’s departure from the video game series. Now granted, the video games do dive into Drake’s past and Holland would be good for that part, but does anyone care to see how Drake got his start? It was interesting in the game for the small role it played and it is perfectly fine for a film to adapt the character rather than the story, but the crew that is now attached doesn’t exactly scream, “Oh, we’ve got this.”
Since Holland’s casting, there have been a wide variety of directors attached, ranging from good, such as Dan Trachtenberg (“10 Cloverfield Lane”) and Travis Knight (“Bumblebee”), to mediocre, such as Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”) and, most recently, according to an exclusive story from Variety Magazine, Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland: Double Tap”). Yes, Ruben Fleischer, director of last year’s “Venom” and other classics such as “30 Minutes or Less,” the movie where Jesse Eisenberg has to deliver a pizza with a bomb vest on or whatever. Now granted, he does have the extremely fun “Zombieland” under his belt, however he has shown no signs to return to that very average level of competence and seems as though he is comfortable staying in the category of “vaguely stylistic but ultimately sloppy” director. Wahlberg is also back, but this time playing Sully, the mentor and sidekick of Holland’s Drake. Also, Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”) is in it.
Another forgettable video game adaptation in the making. It isn’t that there’s some curse on video game adaptations, it’s just that they seemingly get either the worst or the most uninteresting people to make these things. “Uncharted” can very easily be a fun “Indiana Jones” meets “Pirates of the Carribbean” modern adventure, with an insanely charismatic lead acted by what could be an unknown in a star making role. But, speaking pessimistically, chances are it won’t be because the studios that don’t realize the potential of these properties. They treat it like another comic book adaptation in which the story can be flipped and rearranged at will, keep hiring the wrong people. Instead we have someone who has not made a good movie in 10 years directing, a script written by a guy who has not made a good movie in 10 years, which is an adaptation that has been in the making for 10 years.
With Jordan Vogt-Roberts (“Kong: Skull Island”) and his “Metal Gear Solid” film that has been in the works for years now, at least he has an immense passion for the project and it will come from a genuine place, even if he isn’t necessarily the best filmmaker in the world. Does Fleischer care about “Uncharted?” Does Sony? The answer is most likely a resounding no.
Image from PlayStation via YouTube
