Harrison Ford is getting old, and Lucasfilm is still struggling to find ways to keep the Indiana Jones franchise going with or without the actor, but is there a new intrepid explorer already on the scene? Columbia Pictures certainly seems to think it has found one in Nathan Drake, as the studio appears to be moving full steam ahead with an adaptation of Uncharted, the video-game franchise in which that character stars.
A few filmmakers have come aboard and later departed the project, including Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell, Divergent helmer Neil Burger and This is the End duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, but now it appears that Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) has been locked in. While recently speaking with Zap2It, Gordon revealed:
“I think very early next year. That’s the plan. That’s like tomorrow, essentially, because the prep is so complicated for the movie… It’s going to honor the mythology of the game, but I would say honor some of the most interesting stuff from the first one and build from there. There’s some stuff that isn’t in the game.”
Gordon elaborated on the plot of his film, expressing his intentions to evolve the story beyond what is featured in the game:
“I love the complexity and frankly the sophistication of the storytelling in the game, and we aspire to that — but don’t want to tell the exact same story, of course — so something that doesn’t break the rules of what it did but expands. Because I feel like the people who play the games and know them well don’t want to just see the same story told. You want extra shades.”
He also spoke about casting the perfect Nathan Drake, stating:
“I want it to be a great actor. That’s number one, and then if it’s someone who has an actual jaw, that’s even better. The game is so well done that you need it to live up to that. There’s no way we’d do the inverse of that where it’s somebody famous who can’t [act].”
It’s great to hear that from Gordon, especially in a world where Robert Pattinson can even be considered to play a new Indiana Jones. Which actors would you like to see in contention for the part? Personally, I think Bradley Cooper would do a great job with the part, but I could also see casting Nathan Fillion (a fan favorite choice, from what I understand), James Badge Dale, Frank Grillo or maybe even a fresher face like Jake Gyllenhaal.
Who’s your pick for Nathan Drake in the Uncharted adaptation?