The Uncharted series’ film adaptation has been in development hell for years, with Mark Wahlberg originally planning to star as Nathan Drake, but it appears that the movie has since undergone some radical changes. Tom Holland of Spider-man: Homecoming fame will now star in the film, which will focus on a much younger Drake.
According to Deadline, the decision to rewrite the Uncharted film as a prequel to the video games was made after Sony Pictures head Tom Rothman saw Holland’s performance in Homecoming, which hasn’t released yet.
While the main Uncharted games, and particularly Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, focused on an aging Nathan Drake who always seemed to be just one step away from death, we have seen his younger self appear, as well. Uncharted 3 included a playable section that showed the origin of his relationship with Sully, while Uncharted 4 gave further background to his troubled past as well as the strong bond with his brother.
The film wouldn’t be the first time a PlayStation franchise has been adapted for the big screen, but we haven’t seen very much success thus far. Ratchet & Clank, which released alongside the rebooted game last year, was a critical and commercial failure, and a similar Sly Cooper adaptation has been in the works for several years with the same director.
As for the Uncharted game franchise, it’s unclear whether it will continue following The Last Legacy, a stand-alone expansion that arrives later this year. The game stars Chloe Frazer from Uncharted 2 and 3 and developer Naughty Dog has said that it will feature the largest playable level in the series’ history. We’re hoping that future games can star additional characters with their own unique stories, though it’s unlikely that Naughty Dog would helm such a project. The studio is currently working on The Last of Us: Part II for PlayStation 4.
