The Uncharted movie has been gestating for a few years now, and we still don’t really know anything at all about the project – if it’s even coming anymore.
Still, Nolan North, the voice of Nathan Drake in the Uncharted games (and the one true Drake forever and ever amen) recently voiced his opinion on who should – and shouldn’t – take on the role.
Despite the fact that actor Mark Wahlberg (above) had previously been attached to the Uncharted movie, Mr North has suggested that the Boogie Nights actor wouldn’t be his first choice to play the roguish treasure hunter.
He told the Daily Star:
The last I heard, Mark Wahlberg was still in the running, but I really don’t see it.
Other potential actors that were floated for the Uncharted movie at various points in time include Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Amy Adams, and Scarlett Johansson – though I imagine those guys were considered for the roles of the smooth-talking Sully and kick-ass Elena, rather than Drake.
As of November 2014, Horrible Bosses and Identity Thief director Seth Gordonis took on the task of directing the Uncharted movie. Mark Boal, who won an Oscar for The Hurt Locker, is working on the screenplay.
More recently, reports suggested that Parks and Recreation/Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt turned down the role of Nathan Drake. North said that was a shame, as he reckoned that Pratt would have been a perfect Drake.
North said:
I thought Chris Pratt would do it justice, but I guess he did it already in Guardians of the Galaxy–that was a Nathan Drake character. He’s vulnerable, he’s kinda funny, he’s kinda that hero with a smirk, cocky and confident. That scene when he says ‘I’m Starlord’–that’s such a Drake moment.
North added that, of course, he would have loved to play Drake in a live action movie, but that he’s probably a little too old now. He did joke that by the time they get around to making the movie, he could be the right age to play Sully.
No new details have emerged on the Uncharted movie for quite some time, leaving many to assume it’s simply been cast into development hell.
North reckons the film has potential, but it’s not in a great place right now:
People who’ve seen the script are comparing it to Indiana Jones and National Treasure, but there’s still a lot of work and truthfully, I think it’s got an uphill battle.
Finally, North revealed that the film’s producers have actually asked him to appear in the film, but he’s not especially keen on the idea of doing a cameo.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was North’s most recent (and probably last) time playing the character – though he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning someday.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.