Uncharted is a film that’s taken a surprisingly long time to make its way into production. Based on the smash hit Sony Playstation franchise, it has an action-packed story that lends itself perfectly to Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking. It follows treasure hunter Nathan Drake, his mentor “Sully,” and a host of secondary characters, as they travel the world to uncover historical mysteries. The scripts for the games have a balance of humor, mystery, action, and intrigue as Drake tends to get into all kinds of trouble while on his assignments. The franchise could be a hit on the level of the National Treasure films or, in the right hands, could be this generation’s Indiana Jones. 

At one point, David O. Russell- the director who’s been nominated for five Academy Awards, was set to bring the franchise to the big screen. At the time, he had gotten a commitment from Mark Wahlberg to star as Drake. The two had worked together on Three Kings and The Fighter, and it looked like the duo would bring their A-game to this video game adaptation. Then Russell’s slate got too loaded, and he backed away from the project. This was back in 2011, mind you. At the time, Sony vowed to continue on without him. But what about Wahlberg? It’s been three years since Russell left the project, and most would assume that his interest in the project was little-to-none by this point.

Not so fast.

According to, you guessed it, the now-infamous hacking of Sony, Comic Book Movie has gotten word that Wahlberg was still interested in starring in Uncharted as recently as six months ago. Apparently blown away by a mock trailer he was shown by the studio, Wahlberg expressed a desire to stick with the adaptation but had yet to make a formal commitment to the project. With Wahlberg seemingly onboard, and open to filming in early 2015, it looked like the film was fast approaching. The film has a tentative release date of June 10, 2016. Yet here we are in December, and no solid news of a start date for the production has been announced, nor have there been any formal announcements. So it’s very possible that things fizzled between the two sides in the last six months, or that the latest version of the script, which was written by Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker), is not yet up to snuff.

Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon is the man currently set to direct Uncharted, should it ever end up becoming a reality. Gordon is said to want to keep the use of green screen technology to a minimum, and would rather use more practical sets and effects.

Also of note is that Chris Pratt (who I think would be a better fit for Drake) was apparently offered the part at some point during the film’s long development period, perhaps as Wahlberg’s availability has fluctuated over the years. But the actor turned down the part. Maybe he thought that being the face of the Guardians of The Galaxy and Jurassic Park franchises was enough for him? It’s a shame. I think he would’ve nailed it.

What do you think? Is Wahlberg the right man to fill Drake’s boots?

SOURCE: Comic Book Movie