Uncharted, one of Sony’s biggest video game-turned potential movie adaptations, has endured a rough year. Back in October, Academy Award-nominated director David O. Russell was signed as the Uncharted helmer. One month later, Russell began talking-up his now controversial “family dynamic” angle and brought-on Mark Wahlberg to star as fan-favorite adventurer, Nathan Drake.
However, through all the ups and downs that led to the eventual exit of the director (and subsequently Wahlberg as well), one thing remained constant – many fans were still holding-out hope that Castle star, Nathan Fillion, would get a crack at playing Drake on the big screen. Unsurprisingly, Fillion is still very interested in the role – but on one very respectable condition.
At Comic-Con 2011, we got a chance to catch-up with Fillion about the recently vacated starring role (and director’s chair) for the Uncharted movie, and while the actor was forthcoming about his interest in the part, he made it clear that he didn’t want to step on newly-signed director Neil Burger‘s shoes – but also wasn’t above trying “Inception” if it’d help his chances:
“I am certainly still interested in playing Nathan Drake. I think every actor I know wants their action-adventure hero, their Indiana Jones. That would be a good one for me, I think. What I don’t want is people pressuring that poor man [director Neil Burger] and souring him on the actual idea. If we could somehow just… do you remember the movie Inception? I think that’s what we need to do. We need to let him land on the idea on his own.”
Fillion’s respectful petition for the part is no doubt in response to the growing mass of Uncharted fans who have pushed the boundary between a passionate appeal and flat-out harassing ex-director Russell for casting anyone but their top choice. While Russell’s approach to the film and casting differed dramatically from the source material – and would be, many argued, Uncharted in name alone – fans were especially harsh in their reaction to the director’s attempt at bringing the franchise to the big screen.
It’s great to see that Fillion, who no doubts wants to headline his own “action-adventure hero film,” is interested in seeing the best Uncharted film that Neil Burger can make – even if it means that he misses out on the opportunity to play Nathan Drake. It’s hard to imagine Burger will experiment with as many liberties as Russell, especially considering Sony was reportedly against the “family dynamic” idea, and as a result, it’s unlikely that they’d have signed-off on an Uncharted film that was so disconnected from the game. Regardless, the Castle star’s approach to the situation is good food-for-thought for any fans who will be crestfallen if Burger also passes on Fillion.
That said, it probably wouldn’t hurt for an exceptionally dedicated (and brainy) fan to get to work on an Inception-like dream machine – Nathan Fillion (and plenty of fans) would undoubtedly be grateful.
Follow me on Twitter @benkendrick and let us know who you’d like to see play Nathan Drake in Uncharted.
We’ll keep you up to date with further casting details as pre-production on the Uncharted film gets underway.
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I don’t understand why people are neglecting the fact he’s about 10 years older than Nathan Drake is. HE’S FORTY YEARS OLD! Filion is a good actor but
this role is not for him. Whoever plays Drake obviously has to be in top shape to pull off the role, like Jensen Ackles, Chris Evans, Bradley Cooper, or even Ryan Reynolds.
Yes and no actor in the history of Hollywood has ever acted outside of their age range…..sarcasm if you have to ask.
Jensen Akles will be interesting to see as Drakes but he’s too gritty. Plus it would be an epic action scene at the end of the film when flesh eating aztec zombies start roaming out of their grave and Akles is seen shoting them with a double barrel shotgun. A real treat for Supernatural fans. lol.
Jensen would be a very good choice, definitely one of the best options! The whole zombie thing would be a good nod to SPN, but I don’t think he’s too gritty. Dean Winchester is, but he’ll dial it down for Drake.
Mark Wahlberg is 40.
I do like Nathan Fillion for the role, but I also think a lot of people overlook another obvious choice for the part: the actor who both voiced and did the movements for Drake in the game, Nolan North. It only makes sense that someone who has played Drake three times already get the chance to play him in the flick.
As much as I like Nolan North, he doesn’t look much like Nate and he’s too old. Nathan Fillion does look like him but an older version. What they could do is cast Nolan North but put the dots on his face and make him look like Nathan Drake, like they did with Ralph Fiennes in Harry Potter and Bill Nighy in Pirates of the Caribbean. Speaking of which, does anyone else think Bruckheimer would be a really good choice for director on this movie?
I have never played “Uncharted” since I am an XBOX owner however, the likeness is very close and if people are true by their words and the charcter in Uncharted is a funny character then Fillion is indeed the man for the job. See “Fire Fly” and you will know why. I miss that show by the way.
I have played uncharted 1 and 2 and while i was playing i swore that the character drake was modeled after Malcolm reynolds and damn fox they screwed up when the cancelled firefly i don’t watch fox anymore because of that. They need to bring uncharted to xbox so you guys can enjoy it too.
Xbox is not worthy of the uncharted or god of war serease! im true to sony and besides uncharted would be on like five disc for xbox360 and thats a discrace to uncharted
you spell wonderfully….
Drake was actually modelled on Nathan Fillion. I think they should get Fillion to play the role with Nolan North voicing him.
Abrams mentioned it to his wife who also helped talk him into the final decision to take on the potentially scary project…- Nimoy was there and said that Star Trek 11 is a gigantic movie. all along and put out there just to appease the fans…It wouldve been interesting to have had Steven Spielberg direct a Star Trek movie…………………………………….
Respectfully, if NF wants to be in the running, then his TV character, let’s say, needs a storyline where, in order to compete with her platonic detective’s massive, athletic boyfriend, he has to decide to hit the gym to shed at least twenty pounds.
Which is all it should take, not a big deal, given that everything else is there already, physically speaking, being tall, big, broad shouldered, with self-evident weight-lifting shaped biceps. It’s just that bon vivant breadbasket that tiny TV screens allows you to indulge in that, in time, needs to go.
stfu about firefly. Bradley cooper is the best bet. he’s a good actor, he’s popular, and he would play the hell out of Nathan. i understand you may want to drink fillion’s cum, but he’s a bad choice.
Oh gosh, someone said ryan Reynolds? Please, no, that would be enough to ruin the film. Uncharted deserves a drake with more than what Ryan Reynolds has to offer. Think of it like this, who would we want being this generations legendary indiana jones.
I like Fillion to play Drake but I fear he’s too old & over weight for the part. What is he like 40 now and if he get the part he would be contracted for 3 more film that is if only the movie is a big hit.
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While I understand Drake’s character may only be thirty something… your statement has no validity.
There is no such thing as “too old” to act… Fillion’s not a model that you ‘put down’ when they hit twenty-five…
How old is Bruce Willis? Sylvestor Stallone? Jet Li? (Mind, though I did make a joke about that movie with them all being ‘The Old Men’s Club’, they pulled it off.) Because you’re older doesn’t mean you can’t act, it just means you have to keep yourself in shape to keep up with the young ones. Fillion would have to know within himself if he’s capable of keeping up with the action parts or not…
As for the ‘over-weight’ point… I would dismiss it entirely on the grounds of *tries to pick one actor out of the legions that have gained and lost weight/muscle mass for a part* hmm, which one…. let’s go with Christian Bale!
If Fillion gets it, as long as he stays in shape – if as I hope Uncharted movies become a franchise as well, there’s no reason he can’t act til 50 and beyond. After all, it’s not like he LOOKS old.
(I mean don’t get me started on Alan Rickman playing Snape in HP when he’s like 70+ and Snape was suppose to be 40+…and did he pull that off or DID he PULL that OFF!?)
He pulled it off.
Bradley Cooper? WTF.. He is decent but not for this role. Fillion would be perfect for it, he could pass for some one in his 30′s if he buffed up again. He was great in FireFly and Excellent in Serenity. Ryan Reynolds is good in Comedies, but doesn’t have it when it comes to action heroes, just look at the “Green Lantern” Doh! J
Fillion has the right personality to play Drake, he looks and sounds like Drake. What have you ever played for game?
I think of Fillion got the role, I’d go out and buy a PS3 and play all the Uncharted games before the movie came out!
Do that anyway. The second game alone is worth the price.
I actually thought it was Nathan doing the voice work on the game and enjoyed it more that way.
Bradley Cooper, hands down:
http://i48.servimg.com/u/f48/16/38/01/60/nathan10.gif
You want a guy that has mass appeal and talent while your at it for such a new movie franchise.
I can both see Bradley Cooper, and yet hate the idea. I think he could, but I think I would lose some interest in seeing it if he did. I don’t think Karl Urban could pull off certain drake scenes….like swimming in UC:2 and saying marco? or the high pitched laugh he gets after escaping death.
Jensen Ackles might be able to pull that off since, he pulls a lot of the sarcasm in Supernatural.
All in all, there are a lot of decent choices for Drake, so it will be tough. All I can say is ick to Sam Worthington and Ryan Reynolds, however.
What about Chris Evans? I think he might be able to do it.
im not interested in Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake at all… bradley cooper is a good idea and i really like the mark wahlberg idea….
1. Nathan Fillion’s age will have nothing to do with him getting the part (take a look at Harrison Ford for Indiana Jones)
2. People that went to see Serenity were not a majority of Firefly fans, it was a box office hit.
3. Bradley Cooper is a good shout but David Boreanaz? Jensen Eckles? You people are talking about Nathan Fillion not being a box office smash kind of guy?
4. Watched Firefly, Serenity and Castle and it is clear that Drake is based on Nathan Filion as an actor not just a character
If Nathan gets the part and the script and other actors are suited then the movie will be massive! for everybody. It takes a group of people going to see it and then a word of mouth will spark everyone going if it’s good.
Just take a look at Rise of the planet of the apes, who thought that would be as good as it was?
And for casting grade A actors for game roles, let take a look……Hitman? Prince Of Persia? Tomb Raider? The video game adaption to make the most money is the Resident Evil series (I hate this series by the way) and who is Milla Javocovich?
With the cancellation of TV’s Eureka, Niall Matter (Zane Donovan on Eureka) is avialable and would be a GREAT choice, IMO. He’s in amazing physical condition, looks exactly like Drake and is outstanding at the snarky hero thing.
That’s a very interesting and new idea, I had never thought of him. But he is perfect! Niall Matter would be awesome!
I think Fillion would also rock the role, he is very motivated and a great actor.
I would personally also like to see Joe Flanigan (Sheppard from Stargate Atlantis) as Drake. I know everyone will object with more or less the same reasons given for Fillion, but whatever. I think he be very good in it.
Hi everybody! wow! There’re only “Fillion’s lovers” around here! I really, really REALLY love him in Castle, but I can’t see him play Drake, even if he has the charm and the looks. Because if I’m being honest with myself (and it’s painful, trust me =D) I have to admit that Nathan is a little too old to play Drake, who is in his 30s. It would be weird to see him do all those incredible stunts, I think, and not credible. Considering I simply HATE the Mark Wahlberg’s alternative, I would rather think about a younger actor, not as famous like Jensen Ackles for instance. There’s a funny vid n youtube to give us an idea of what it would be like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4VvhMpAJno
I am 40 years old, Nathan Fillion is also 40 years old. I am offended that you think just because we’re 40, we’re too old to be athletic and acrobatic. Have you ever heard of WWE? Look at all the 40, 50, and even 60 year olds that are still in top physical condition, and they perform some seriously difficult stunts and acrobatics.
And btw, Nathan Drake is in his mid-thirties, so does that mean you think he is too old as well?
Nathan Drake’s date of birth was mentioned in Drake’s Trailas (a now-defunct web game that was exclusive to the European site for Drake’s Fortune to promote the series) as being January 11th, 1982. However, this date of birth is inaccurate. It was stated by Amy Hennig (the nice lady that created Nathan Drake) in an interview that he is actually in his mid-thirties.
So, how old do people think Fillion is? He is 40, and that is only about 5 years older than Nathan Drake according to his creater.
Therefore, the argument that Fillion is too old to play as Drake, is total nonsense.
I’m a huge uncharted fan so I am skeptical when it comes to this movie either way since it usually doesn’t work out well. I’m happy to hear that Sony is going to be a little bit hands on with this and hope that Naughty Dog will be too. I love the choice of Fillion for sure, but like some others I’m not sure that he could pull off the stunts and what not. I also don’t know if he has the body to pull off the Drake image. While Drake definitely doesn’t have the beach body look he is in great shape and Fillion would have to really work out to get that look. All of his voice acting and charisma would be perfect for the role though. They have the same exact humor. My other choice would be to have the actual actors be the ones to play the roles. I think that they could really bring the game to life since they are so invested in the roles. Emily Rose and Nolan North could make that a great movie in my opinion, but who knows if the director has even played the game like the last one.
DRAKE SHOULD BE PLAYED BY DANE COOK. ITS THE ONLT WAY TO HAVE THINGS, DRAKE HAS A AWESOME SENSE OF HUMOR, THE LOOK ALIKE AND HAHA DANE IS THE MAN.ETC.. ANYONE AGREE
Haha Dane Cook. Yeah if they want the movie to go straight to video and be ruined that would be great.
Dane Cook huh. Wow, please do not breed.
A) Do not feed the trolls
B) Fillion is great for the role, so is Matter. More importantly, I want Bruce Campbell to play Sullivan.
As a huge fan of the games Nathan Fillion is by far the best choice for this part. I was so relieved to hear that Mark Wahlberg was out he was all wrong.
Okay, I don’t get it. After watching new episodes of Castle and viewing recent photos, Nathan Fillion looks to be in pretty good physical condition. The way alot of people talk, you’d think he was obese or something.
I’ve read alot of excuses to why Fillion wouldn’t work for the role, and so far they’re all nonsense.
1. He’s too old. (Fillion and Drake are almost the same age.)
2. He’s too fat. (Are we even talking about the same person?)
3. He couldn’t do the stunts. (Refer to my WWE analogy above. Also, ever heard of stunt doubles?)
The only real reason Nathan Fillion wouldn’t be able to play this role is if the director chose someone else. Fillion is the right age, he’s in good physical condition, he’s got the look, charm, and charisma.
Love him or hate him, Nathan Fillion is a great choice for the role of Nathan Drake. (Hey look, they even have the same first name!)
okay what about Nolan North? he IS Nathan Drake, why not use the voice actor who does all the action in the game, Nolan North does all the mo-cap for Nathan Drake
I wouldn’t want to see Fillion as Drake, no disrespect to his abilities as an actor but I just think someone else can play Drake better. Now a lot of people might agree or disagree but I feel like looks and attitude wise James Roday would make for an awesome Nate Drake. Young, charismatic, funny, charming, and pretty good with the quips. That’s just my opinion though
Yeah, Fillion as Drake would be sweet, but personally I’m holding out for Fillion as Saint George in Ex-Heroes. Maybe it’s lasting images of Mal, but I can totally picture him wearing a cape and annihilating hoards of zombies.
How about Pete Lattimer from Warehouse 13?
Why not make the entire film pre rendered using cutting edge technology with original voice actors?
Bradley Cooper is a great choice. Watch his character in “The A-Team”.
Nathan Fillion is a good choice.
Mark Wahlberg is a strange choice.
Chris Evans is also a bit odd.
Chris Pine is one choice that seems great also. His role in Star Trek is very similar to Nathan Drake in Uncharted. Now let’s all make lists of actors. No arguments about weight or age. Actors can bulk up and wear make-up. Think ppl
I agree with Uncharted being somewhat of a bad movie idea mainly because of the high body count in the games. Drake is a killer. How would we go about directing the emotions he has after taking the life of another man? How would we squeeze about 10+ hours of game in 2 hours?
Video-game world and movie world are very different and this is why most movie games suck.
It’s easy to spend countless hours playing a game that has a bad plot but it’s extremely hard to watch an hour or two of a movie with a bad plot.
Hollywood has to be very creative to pull this off.
And as far as actors. My top choices are Chris Pine and Bradley Cooper (watch A-Team and Star Trek). But actors don’t have to look like the characters of the game. They just have to act the same.
And remember the director and Sony make all the decisions on this movie and their in it for the money, not us. And we are entitled to our opinions but let’s not be trolls please.