Spider-Man: Homecoming doesn’t hit theaters until July 7, but star Tom Holland is about to have another franchise under his belt. The twenty-year-old actor has been pegged to play a young Nathan Drake in the long-awaited Uncharted movie. The decision came after the chairman of Sony Pictures, Tom Rothman, watched the latest cut of Spiderman: Homecoming.Â
It’s no secret the Uncharted movie has circled through a series of directors, writers, and actors in the process of trying to adapt Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed series for the big screen. Now, Holland’s attachment to the project will also bring about significant changes to the movie. Instead of a storyline that directly mirrors that of the first game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, the film will be re-written as a prequel.
The new script will instead draw inspiration from chapters two and three- “Greatness from Small Beginnings” and “Second Story Work”, respectively- from Uncharted: Drake’s Deception. The chapters focus on a young Nathan Drake on the streets of Cartagena, Colombia and his first encounter with Victor (Sully) Sullivan. There is no word yet on how, or if, characters like Nate’s brother Sam will be written into the new movie. With all the material across four Uncharted games, though, it seems odd to develop a prequel around less than an hour’s worth of story and gameplay and during Nate’s teenage years, but we will have to see how the writing and filming develop over time. Inspiration could also be pulled from a flashback near the end of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.Â
While the film is still being directed Shawn Levy (Stranger Things), Sony will be finding a new screenwriter to replace Joe Carnahan (The Grey). Carnahan previously spoke about how his script for the movie would bump the film to an R-rating, much to the confusion and displeasure of fans. Now with a director and confirmed lead actor on board, though, the Uncharted film seems to finally be moving in the right direction.
Let us know what you think of the decision to cast Tom Holland and the new direction the Uncharted script is taking.
