I guess they’re just going to keep trying
with these video game movies.
Even though NONE of them have worked.
Whatever sells tickets, I guess.
Welcome to Give It Thought, I’m Jake, and
let’s take a look at this, quote, “monstrously
cool” script for a possible Uncharted movie.
So, if you’re a fan of the Uncharted franchise
and keep up with how rumors of the series’
jump to film have been rampant since the first
game in…
2007?
Oh, no, that was too long ago.
Ten years?
Well, almost.
Anyway, my preoccupation with my aging meat
sack aside, stories about a possible movie
adaptation have been floating around and they’ve
certainly had their peaks and valleys.
Seems like every few months we hear about
a new director coming in or an actor leaving
the project.
It’s safe to say the idea has been juggled
between so many hands that it likely doesn’t
resemble the original vision for the movie
at all.
But, we got some good news, or bad news depending
on your perception of this project.
A script has been completed!
The news came through yesterday from screenwriter
Joe Carnahan and his Instagram page.
He tweeted out the cover page for his screenplay
based on the Uncharted games as well as this
little goldmine of a caption for the press
to go crazy with.
Surely he knew every single headline would
be quoting this.
The caption reads: “Done and Dusted.
Now the REAL work begins.
If there's a more monstrously cool action
script in Hollywood right now, I wanna read
it, 'cuz this thing is a BEAST.”
He had to know how that sounds, right?
Whatever the case, as the picture showed,
the script was completed two days ago and
is simply titled: Uncharted.
There’s no real way to know what kind of
story the script will follow, meaning we have
no idea if the plot will follow the first
game, be an amalgamation of all the games,
or if it will be a new story entirely.
You have to admit; few video games seem as
ripe for movie adaptations as Uncharted.
As far as when this thing will start shooting,
a lot of journalists are guessing later this
year, but nothing is set in stone as of yet.
Sony Pictures have had a time corralling a
crew for this movie.
Three potential directors have came and went
from this project, two writing teams have
previously been on-board, and the film has
pushed shooting dates multiple times.
The most recent date being in mid-2015.
As far as the public knew for a while, the
project had been canceled, but now we have
this finished script from Carnahan and a new
director was brought in back in November in
Shawn Levy.
Carnahan’s past work includes that A-Team
movie reboot, which he directed and did not
write.
So, you know, let’s be hopeful that movie
was not representative of his future work.
Shawn Levy is going out of his wheelhouse
with this movie as well because in the past
he has mainly served as a producer on projects
like this year’s phenomenal Netflix series
Stranger Things and Real Steel.
As far as actors who have been attached to
the movie we don’t really have anyone.
Just last month, Mark Wahlburg, who had been
rumored to be in the running to play Nathan
Drake confirmed that he was no longer set
to star in the movie.
Quote, “As of now, no, I’m not attached,”
So we don’t really have any idea who may
be in the running for the main character.
The thing about video game movies is, they’ve
never been critically successful.
Take the recent theatrical release of the
Assassin’s Creed movie.
That franchise, like Uncharted, really had
all the good makings of a movie.
You have a decent plot, some cool lore, and
then you had a fantastic actor brought in
to carry the movie in Michael Fassbender.
But, like all the video game adaptations,
it fell flat on its face once it was converted
into a movie.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you I
have the answer as to why, I know a lot of
people claim it’s the loss of interactivity
and studio meddling that kills these projects,
but whatever it is, they never work in a satisfying
way.
Honestly, I just wish they’d stay away from
the idea of making games into movies altogether,
but like I said at the top of the video, these
properties sell tickets because they already
have these rabid fan-bases that cannot wait
to take in more of their favorite characters.
As far as Uncharted goes, it has the potential
to be good.
This is mainly because of its own influences
in the Indiana Jones franchise, but you could
have said the same thing about the Tomb Raider
movies, which were also inspired by the whip
carrying, treasure hunting fellow, and look
how those turned out.
I don’t know, just seems like something
that should be left alone.
But, Hollywood exists to make money so I guess
they’re just going to keep trying until
something sticks.
And I just wanted to catch everyone up on
the fact that an Uncharted script is indeed
finished, or at least a draft of it is done.
So what do you think about this whole thing?
Are you excited to see Nathan Drake hit the
silver screen and go treasure hunting with
his old pal Sully?
Or do you see this as just another one of
those cash-ins?
Be sure to tell me your opinions on this one
because I kind of go back and forth on video
game to movie adaptations myself.
And I think that’s where I’m going to
wrap things up.
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Thank you so much for watching and remember:
give thought to everything.
