Sony's developing Uncharted video game movie went through a couple of directors - David O. Russell (American Hustle) and Neil Burger (Divergent) to be exact - before it found its new captain, in Horrible Bosses and Identity Thief helmer Seth Gordon. The plan, according to the filmmaker, is for him to direct an episode or two for the comedy series Marry Me and The Goldbergs - two shows where Gordon also gets executive producer credit - before he focuses on getting Nathan Drake's big screen debut ready for production by 2015.
Gordon told Zap2it (via IGN) that he doesn't expect the cameras to start rolling on Uncharted until "very early" in 2015, but also that that start date is basically tomorrow by Hollywood tentpole standards, "because the prep is so complicated for the movie." To clarify for those not familiar with the Uncharted video games series, it's a globe-trotting adventure franchise in the vein of Indiana Jones, with wise-acre treasure hunter Nathan Drake leading the expedition - and as such, the film adaptation will be "very international [and go] all over the world," to quote Gordon.
Besides the fact that a 2015 start for Uncharted would tie-in nicely with the upcoming game release Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Gordon says that the movie's writers "just got the script to a really good place." Last we heard, a recent Uncharted script draft had been written by David Guggenheim (Safe House), but that was all the way back in December 2013. There's clearly been some progress made since then, but the identity of the writers responsible for whipping the screenplay into shape (or, at least, the ones who will receive credit) - that remains to be revealed.
The role of Nathan Drake is up for grabs, though Gordon says that if "it's someone who has an actual jaw, that's even better." Dream-casting choices aside (that includes the obligatory mention of Nathan Fillion's name), it'll be interesting to see who is recruited to play Drake in the Uncharted movie. Mark Wahlberg was lined up back when Russell was directing, but Gordon says he's perfectly open to casting someone with more of a TV background - a la Charlie Day in Horrible Bosses or Melissa McCarthy in Identity Thief - and not, per se, a big name movie star, in other words.
Perhaps the bigger wild card factor here concerns what sort of Uncharted movie Sony wants - since, between hiring Gordon and having previously gone after Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to direct, it seems as though the studio wants to make this flick an action/comedy that's heavy on the "comedy." That's not to say an Uncharted movie by Gordon has to be an excessively (read: annoyingly) jokey blockbuster, mind you - if the film's on par with a globe-trotting action/comedy such as Red, that would be perfectly acceptable.
We'll keep you posted on development for Uncharted as more information is made available.