Source: Uncharted optioned for movie adaptation

by Christopher Grant { May 6th 2008 at 4:57PM }

It's time for another installment of Anonymous Hollywood Insider Reports, here on Joystiq. Last time we caught wind of some Hollywood fat cats eying up the BioShock license like a so many pounds of plasmid-injected steak (Take-Two's chairman later listed a cinematic adaptation of the property under "potential opportunities"). This time, a well-placed source close to the deal tells us that the movie rights to Naughty Dog's highly cinematic action-adventure game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, have been optioned by Atlas Entertainment. There isn't much else to go on besides that; the project has yet to be formally announced and is still in the earliest stages (that is to say: being written). When asked for comment, an SCEA spokesperson told us, "We have not made any announcements regarding movie options."

With the original tomb raider hitting theaters again this year, and a sequel to the well-received game all but confirmed, a Hollywood tie-in seems like a perfect fit (and by perfect fit, we mean half-tucked). The real debate will be over who plays dashing (yet pirate-murdering) hero, Nathan Drake. Our lunch money is on that guy from Firefly ... he's perfect, right? And get this: his name is already Nathan. Talk about kismet.

Tags: movies, Naughty-Dog, SCEA, Uncharted

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

colinbell @ May 6th 2008 5:04PM

The game itself is practically a movie anyway, more so than almost any other game I have ever played. Uncharted 2 in 2009 surely?

PojoMofo @ May 6th 2008 5:07PM

Stanglehold says hello...

Nick the Hero of Canton @ May 6th 2008 5:05PM

Fillion.

But it's Hollywood so be prepared to see Uncharted: Drake's Fortune starring Ben Affleck or something like that...

idiot @ May 6th 2008 10:55PM

Dear God,

Please, Lord, please do not let Ben Affleck be involved with this movie in anyway.

Thanks

PS. And please destroy my enemies.

LaughingTarget @ May 6th 2008 5:08PM

Uncharted: Starring Jack Black

PojoMofo @ May 6th 2008 5:15PM

LMAO,

Uncharted: Rob Schnider's Fortune

Mutant @ May 6th 2008 5:29PM

I hope not Jack Black. I had more than enough of Jack in the King Kong game.

PojoMofo @ May 6th 2008 5:32PM

I will take King Kong over Nacho Libre any day of the week

brandon_r87 @ May 6th 2008 5:33PM

Oh, come on Mutant. King Kong is only a 6 hour game and you can't take Jack Black for that long? If anything, it should be longer. Such a great game, held back by its short length.

Ranus Studios @ May 6th 2008 5:18PM

I'll buy two of anything with Mal in it.

itsburnsie @ May 6th 2008 5:27PM

I'll second that

Mutant @ May 6th 2008 5:30PM

Third!!

Mutant Enemy

Vcize @ May 6th 2008 5:48PM

Ditto.

Ethan @ May 7th 2008 3:00AM

I'll buy er... one.

Gehodra @ May 6th 2008 5:22PM

I haven't played the game, so I'm not sure if Fillion should portray Drake. I mean, what if Drake is only a really good character? Fillion would portray him as the coolest character ever, and that would alienate fans who know that Drake is not that cool.

SixStringAddict @ May 6th 2008 8:21PM

No drake is pretty badass

adam @ May 6th 2008 5:24PM

This role was made for Fillion. My buddies are big fans of Firefly and when I showed them the game, they were convinced for a few minutes that it was him doing the voice acting. If it's not Fillion, they'll be doing a disservice to themselves.

Nate @ May 6th 2008 5:37PM

.....or they could get the actor who played him in the game....

But I agree, Nathan Fillion is great...

phil @ May 6th 2008 5:38PM

Did Naughty Dog based their main character on Fillion, or is it jus a BIG coincidence? Their faces are identical in every way and it would be a shame if Fillion didn't get the role of Drake. I can see nobody else more perfect for that role, except Nikolaj Coster-Waldau? Google him.

Neptune @ May 6th 2008 5:49PM

Not sure about Fillion but early Nathan Drake character was based on Johnny Knoxville.

SR388 @ May 6th 2008 5:43PM

I still prefer an Indiana Jones flick over an Uncharted flick as far as movies go.

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio @ May 6th 2008 5:45PM

That's cool that you can compare the 2 since you already saw the Uncharted movie. How was Uncharted?

JJ @ May 6th 2008 7:34PM

i mean come on curtis... everyone knows Indiana Jones CREATED the genre.... =)

No but seriously thats like saying you dont ever need to see another action movie because you like the original die hard movie so much...

I think uncharted would make an excellent movie...But as a nod to indiana jones... more Nazi's and more nazi zombies.

watching nazi's and nazi zombies get killed will never be boring

Neptune @ May 6th 2008 5:58PM

Is there much more difference than the main character?

glitched @ May 6th 2008 6:04PM

I jokingly said after watching the latest indy trailer that showed before iron man "huh, looks like a live action Uncharted"

They even got the jeep run through the jungle on the edge of a cliff!

el serpiente @ May 6th 2008 6:52PM

Only difference is that Drake is not elderly and Indy is carrying around his colostomy bag.

SR388 @ May 6th 2008 5:52PM

@Curtis
What film spawned this videogame franchise? Can you remember the guy with the hat and the whip? Yeah I forgot the directors name too. I'm drawing a blank...

LaughingTarget @ May 6th 2008 6:00PM

I think he's the same one that butchered the last three Star Wars movies.

Neptune @ May 6th 2008 6:02PM

Steven Spielberg butchered the last three Star Wars movies?

Mr Khan @ May 6th 2008 6:18PM

Nobody "butchered" the last three star wars movies (except those eye-gougingly horrid love scenes in Episodes II & III)

They were a very different flavor from their predecessors, but by no means butchered

el serpiente @ May 6th 2008 6:53PM

Yeah, they were 'runny diarrhea' flavored.

Curtis the Claw:XBL - supapaypamawio @ May 6th 2008 7:02PM

Saying that Indiana Jones movies are better then a movie you've never seen just because Uncharted spawned from Indiana Jones is pretty naive. That is like saying no other space movie will compare to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

LaughingTarget @ May 6th 2008 7:43PM

Speilberg may be able to keep the reigns on Lucas' insanity, but AI: Artificial Intelligence may say otherwise.

Indiana Jones is a Lucas Film property and Lucas like to have an iron grip on everything.

And yes, Episodes 1-3 were a horrible blight upon the planet and need to be scrubbed from history lest the future think badly of us.

why not the LS2LS7? @ May 6th 2008 11:10PM

You're apparently thinking of Allan Quatermain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Quatermain

Ted @ May 6th 2008 6:18PM

They'll never be able to find an actress as good looking as the woman in Uncharted :)

FallenCow @ May 6th 2008 6:47PM

Seriously?

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/uncharted_elena.jpg

...wanna hit the edit button there Ted?

Ted @ May 6th 2008 7:02PM

lol, ok fair enough, that's a pretty ugly screenshot.

It's been a while since I played it (I gave up when the zombies came) but I vaguely remember her being pretty hot :)

FallenCow @ May 6th 2008 7:11PM

Zombies can be frustrating, but you should give it another go cause you're near the end!

na2ru1 @ May 7th 2008 1:08PM

the voice actress for Elena is pretty hot herself. I'd say better looking than Elena herself

Drake's voice acting was very good and i wouldn't want anyone else emulating it and ruining Drake as a character.

Viridium @ May 6th 2008 7:17PM

Never played the game, but from the screenshot in the newspost, the first actor that came to mind looking like Drake is Michael Trucco (Samuel T. Anders of Battlestar Galactica).

No idea about the characterization though, as I said I've not played the game.