Uncharted: In the film prequel to the brilliant “Uncharted” video game series, Tom Holland takes on the role of a young Nathan Drake as he embarks on his first great adventure.
Film plot and background
In the film prequel to the brilliant “Uncharted” video game series, Tom Holland takes on the role of a young Nathan Drake who has his first big adventure.
Long before Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) discovers the legendary El Dorado, he experiences his first adventure as an inexperienced young man. After Drake, who grew up an orphan, is taken in by his mentor Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), he learns to hone his talents. He’s going to need them, because even his first big adventure leads Nathan into hair-raising situations that he can only escape with a lot of skill.
The trailer gives you a first impression of the adventures of Nathan Drake:
“Uncharted” – Storyline
Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) didn’t have it easy growing up. He keeps his head above water as a thief and bartender, but he still struggles with the loss of his parents and his brother Sam, who suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth. When one day the experienced treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) stands before him and makes him a lucrative offer, Drake’s sense of adventure is quickly awakened. It’s about the legendary treasure of Ferdinand Magellan, which he is said to have hidden more than 500 years ago and which has been considered lost ever since.
The unscrupulous Moncada (Antonio Banderas) sees himself as the rightful heir to the treasure, since his ancestors were involved in its accumulation. For Nathan and Sully, a global scavenger hunt soon begins that leads them closer to the treasure. But only those clever enough to decipher the clues of yesteryear will find the right place. Nathan, on the other hand, hopes that he will also find his missing brother during the search.
In an interview with Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, the two stars talk about the future of the franchise:
“Uncharted” – Is the film project doomed?
The “Uncharted” project has been in the works since 2008. The film has – before it can even really get going – a fair amount of personnel attrition to lament. After Tom Holland finally brought clarity regarding the casting of main character Nathan Drake, the film had to cope with the departure of six (!) directors by January 2020. Whether Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”), Dan Trachtenberg (“10 Cloverfield Lane”), Neil Burger (“Destiny”), Seth Gordon (“Baywatch”), David O. Russell (“Silver Linings”) or most recently Travis Knight (“Bumblebee”) – none of the filmmakers could be tied to the video game adaptation in the long term. Read this article to find out why Knight failed.
With director Ruben Fleischer (“Venom”), the right person was finally found for the project. The actors and actresses were somewhat less problematic: Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg are set as the main actors. The script by Joe Carnahan has remained relatively constant, which will continue to be used, but has already undergone rewrites. From Carnahan also comes the draft, which sets the film up as a prequel and shows us a young Nathan Drake who must prove himself in his first adventures.
“Uncharted” – theatrical release, behind the scenes
During the turbulent development history of “Uncharted”, Sony (PlayStation Productions) and the development studio Naughty Dog set a first cinema date for 2015. However, this had to be corrected further and further back due to the difficulties mentioned above. After the signing of Tom Holland, 2020 seemed realistic. But once again, scheduling and personnel problems thwarted the timetable.
Due to the worldwide pandemic of the corona virus, the cinema release has been delayed again. “Uncharted” will now be released in German cinemas on 17 February 2022. The first set photo of Tom Holland shows the appropriate look as Drake. By the way, the film was shot in Germany, at the Filmstudios Babelsberg (Potsdam) to be exact. Read more about the shoot in this article.
Shorten the waiting time thanks to Nathan Fillion
Before the focus of the film was set on a young Nathan Drake, numerous fans of the game series spoke out in favour of Nathan Fillion (“Serenity – Escape to a New World”, “Castle”) as the main cast. He himself also repeatedly expressed interest in taking on the role. When it became clear that this would not happen, Fillion went on the offensive and recorded a 15-minute fan film. The finished work is available on YouTube and can possibly shorten the waiting time for the feature film.
