So you have already heard the news that an Uncharted movie is on the way, and that Mark Wahlberg been cast as the dashing, mouthy and mischievous protagonist Nathan Drake.
If however, you were wondering if the movie would be based more around the first game, or the second game or… well, any of the games then you might be in for a surprise. Speaking to Uncharted’s director David O. Russel, the LA Times discovered that the movie looks to be taking a different direction completely.
Russel had the following to say with regards to the movie:
“This idea really turns me on that there’s a family that’s a force to be reckoned with in the world of international art and antiquities … that deals with heads of state and heads of museums and metes out justice,”
He also goes on to say:
“We’ll have the family dynamic, which we’ve done in a couple of movies now,”
“And then you take that and put it on the bigger, more muscular stage of an international action picture, but also put all the character stuff in it. That’s a really cool idea to me.”
Well Mr. Russell, I completely agree. That sounds fantastic, but what in the hell does it have to do with the friggin’ Uncharted games.
Why base the movie on the games at all, if the games’ brand only serves to attract gamers to theaters, the very same gamers that you are going to annoy. Everyone else that you are hoping to attract has no idea that the games even exist, so why spoil the license? Just make a different movie altogether.
The Prince of Persia is a fantastic example of a fairly well budgeted adaptation that managed to maintain its own direction but still keep close enough to the source material that everyone from my gamer buddies to my parents managed to really enjoy.
Will the Uncharted movie rock or suck? It doesn’t actually matter to me anymore, because it seems pretty clear that it’s barely got anything to do with the games we all love so much anyways.
I don’t usually do this, but I saw a comment on Kotaku from one of their readers named Kevin Patrick Taylor , and I think he pretty much sums it all up:
- Horrible miscasting of actors: check
- Shamelessly ignoring source material: check
- Excising important characters while introducing unnecessary ones: check
- Transforming a beloved franchise into a vanity project: check
- Pandering to Hollywood conventions: check
- Alienating existing fanbase: check
- Your videogame adaptation is complete
Last Updated: December 2, 2010
Rez
December 2, 2010 at 10:37
This sounds like the Tomb Raider films only with Mark Wahlberg … and the only reason anybody watched tomb raider was for Angelina Jolie.
NiteFenix
December 2, 2010 at 10:54
*scratches Uncharted off his “Must See” list*
Ok so which game-to-movie adaptation is hollywood gonna bugger up next?
Aequitas
December 2, 2010 at 12:06
Just call this movie “The Art Dealers” and then you can do what you want with it.
Let someone else make “Uncharted”, and actually *get* Nathan Fillion on board
Bobby Kotick for Dummies
December 2, 2010 at 12:09
@NiteFenix: Either Gears of War, Halo or Infamous. They’ll fuck em up. Hollywood is where creativity dies.
Hollywood Executive # 1: “Hey guys, let’s make a movie based on a popular videogame, but then let’s not base on the videogame”.
Hollywood Executive 2: “Mother of… Dude that’s brilliant, and let’s throw Mark Wahlberg in it too”
Hollywood Executive 3: “Sirs, I smell GENIUS LEVEL AWESOMENESS!”
Hollywood Executive # 1: This is so freaking easy, ok so Wahlberg plays like a modern version of Indiana Jones, and half way through the movie we throw in ZOMBIES!!
Hollywood Executive # 2: “BRO! ZOMBIES ARE THE SHIT NOW. THE KIDS WILL EAT IT UP”
Hollywood Executive # 3: “So it’s settled a movie called Uncharted about Zombies and Mark Wahlberg. What else is on the table?”
Hollywood Executive 1: “Lads, let’s also make a sequel to the Lord of the Rings movies, but it’s not going to be set in Middle Earth but rather in Detroit, and the hobbits are Jewish guys from New York, and the Orcs are the urban black guys”.
Hollywood Executive 2: “O M G bitches O M G We are on a ROLL!!”
Hollywood Executive # 3: “Dudes can we put Mark Wahlberg in that on too?”
Hollywood Executive #1: “FUCK YEAH, and M NIGHT SHYAMALAN can direct. Did you see 6th Sense? BLEW MY MIND! BLEW MY MIND!”
piet
December 2, 2010 at 13:06
:blink: you have too much time
D4RKL1NG
December 2, 2010 at 14:01
Dude,that was brilliant! Thanks for the lulz on this kak day!
Luna
December 2, 2010 at 22:07
I was gonna say “Naw, you’re wrong! There’s still creative stuff in Hollywood!” But yeah, there is. Just not very much. I’d say 99% of the quality that goes in is torn apart to create something no one cares about. But I guess there is still SOME good…. It’s just a shame we see it so seldom.
I think the guy that does Nathan’s voice should play the part. His looks are even very very close.
NiteFenix
December 3, 2010 at 10:21
Thanks for the chuckle Bobby. In my opinion, the only good movies these days are made by indipendant film makers. I love Uwe Bols vision, but his execution is KAK. But still, at least he tries to stay as close as possible to the game. If only we had someone with Uwe Bol’s drive and determination, minus the crappy film making talent, we might even get a decent amount of game-to-move adaptations.
Bobby Kotick for Dummies
December 3, 2010 at 11:17
@Luna – Of course, but Hollywood is a business, and there’s a market in making movies for your lowest common denominator, which is generally the vast majority of your audience. That’s not to say, that you don’t get an occasional movie from Hollywood that’s just absolutely stunning (i.e. make Ebert cry), but it’s really the same for Bollywood and Nollywood too (although I’m yet to watch a Nollywood movie that didn’t stink up the place… sigh Nigeria, I’m still waiting for an awesome gay cowboy movie from you guys… MAKE IT HAPPEN AFRICA!).
NiteFenix is right though, the most daring movies are coming from the indies, which makes sense, they’re generally on a lower budget, and although they’d like to sell as many seats in the cinemas or get as many awards as possible. The primary motivation is merely to make as much money to cover the movie project, and hopefully to have enough left over to start the next movie project, or alternatively to be noticed by the big Hollywood production companies, so you can finally make that big budget movie, or destroy movie adaptations of Nickelodeon cartoons with your “VISION”(Here’s looking at you M.Night Blahmalan).
Not surprisingly, gaming and Hollywood have a lot in common these days, with the primary motivation not being the art, but rather to make a huge return on an investment (and before you accuse me of being a socialist unwashed hippy with a beret, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make as much money off the masses as possible :P)