Anyone who has played the Uncharted video games knows that it plays out in a very cinematic way, making it seem ripe for a transition to the big screen of a movie theater. Well, it’s finally happening, as an Uncharted movie is on its way as an early entry for new movies in 2022 with Tom Holland on board to star as treasure hunter Nathan Drake.
There have been many starts and stops on Uncharted’s journey to becoming a movie. With the first game in the series releasing on PlayStation in 2007, people have been trying to make a movie of Uncharted since about 2008. Along the way Uncharted has seen the likes of Nathan Fillion, Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt in consideration for playing Nathan Drake, as well as rumors of Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci joining the movie; not to mention the slew of directors that tried to tackle the movie, including David O. Russell, Neil Burger, Seth Gordon, Shawn Levy, Dan Trachtenberg and Travis Knight.
However long it has taken, the Uncharted movie is on its way. Here is everything that you need to know about Uncharted.
‘Uncharted’ release date
After more than a decade in development, Uncharted is finally set to hit theaters on Feb. 18 for U.S. Though U.S. isn't first, as U.K. and other countries will see Uncharted premiere in theaters for them on Feb. 11.
Uncharted will be getting an exclusive run in theaters, as the day-and-date streaming/theatrical releases of 2021 are no longer expected to be standard operating procedure. However, whenever Uncharted does find its way to streaming, it will likely do so on Netflix, as Sony and the streaming giant have previously announced a deal that will begin in 2022.
'Uncharted' reviews
Is Uncharted able to break the video game movie adaptation curse? Depends on who you ask, but What to Watch's Uncharted review gave approved, describing the movie as a "rip-roaring modern treasure hunt" that is massive fun.
Tom Holland as Nathan Drake in ‘Uncharted’
After the likes of Nathan Fillion, Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt were up for the role of Nathan Drake, it was Tom Holland who landed the part, giving the actor best known for playing Spider-Man another potential franchise. With Holland, still just 25 years old, the movie will focus on a younger Nathan Drake who is just getting into the treasure hunting game.
The character of Nathan Drake is a wise-cracking treasure hunter that definitely tries to be an Indiana Jones of the 21st century. Holland’s most famous character, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, is a bit of a wise guy himself, so it’s not a stretch to see Holland being able to take on this role, but it will be fun to see him outside of the world of high school that Peter Parker found himself in with the Spider-Man movies.
‘Uncharted’ cast
Mark Wahlberg may not have wound up playing Nathan Drake, but he did manage to secure a spot in the Uncharted cast as Victor “Sully” Sullivan, Drake’s partner and mentor. Wahlberg has led a number of his own action films in his career, including Infinite and Transformers: Age of Extinction, but he often is at his best in supporting roles that get to mix in some comedy — think The Departed — and as Sully he should have the chance to do that.
One more character from the games is confirmed to appear in the Uncharted movie, as Sophia Ali is on board to play Chloe Frazer. Another treasure hunter, Chloe’s allegiances are sometimes brought into question. Ali is best known for her roles on the TV shows Grey’s Anatomy and Prime Video’s The Wilds.
The final big name to round out the cast is Antonio Banderas, who is slated to play the main villain of the movie, Santiago Moncada. Banderas was most recently seen in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, but is best known for this role as Zorro in The Mask of Zorro, El Mariachi in Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and his work with Pedro Almodóvar, including most recently Pain & Glory.
The final confirmed cast member for Uncharted is Tati Gabrielle (The 100), who is playing a character called Braddock.
‘Uncharted’ director
The musical chairs of directors for Uncharted finally came to an end when Ruben Fleishcer came on board to helm the movie. Fleischer broke out after directing the 2009 movie Zombieland (and its 2019 sequel Zombieland: Double Tap), but also has the likes of 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad and Venom on his resume.
‘Uncharted’ plot
Though it has plenty of source material to work off of with four Uncharted video games having been made, the Uncharted movie is going to tell an original story, though there are certainly some obvious references from the video games that will be included.
Here is the official synopsis:
“Street-smart Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada. What starts as a heist job for the duo becomes a globe-trotting, white-knuckle race to reach the prize before the ruthless Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who believes he and his family are the rightful heirs. If Nate and Sully can decipher the clues and solve one of the world’s oldest mysteries, they stand to find $5 billion in treasure and perhaps even Nate’s long-lost brother ... but only if they can learn to work together."
‘Uncharted’ trailer
Uncharted is squeezing a lot into its trailers so far, including establishing the relationship between Drake and Sully, teasing the treasure at the center of the plot and the mystery of Drake’s brother, showcasing the supporting characters and topping it all of with a version of one of the video games’ most famous sequences. Check it out the pair of official trailers for yourself below.
And with just a few weeks to go, Sony has released that "final" trailer for Uncharted, which gives its trio of leading men - Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas - the spotlight. Watch it right here.
You can also watch an exclusive scene from the movie that depicts the famous game sequence from Uncharted 3 where Drake is dangled out of a cargo plane:
And here is a clip featuring Holland with Sophia Ali:
