Tom Holland has two movies coming out in 2021, Chaos Walking and Uncharted, with big problems to overcome regarding their story and production. Holland began his career on the big screen largely by taking prominent supporting parts in historical dramas. It wouldn’t be until his cameo appearance in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, stepping into the role of Peter Parker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that the actor began to be viewed by audiences and critics as a potential leading man. Holland’s popularity would skyrocket soon after with the success of Spider-Man: Homecoming, as the young performer earned heaps of praise for bringing a balance of energy and vulnerability to the title character. Collectively, Holland’s films have earned more than $6 billion at the worldwide box office. While it’s true that the whopping number has a lot to do with his MCU association, it also means that the actor has gained legions of fans eager to check out his future projects.
As he attempts to leverage that familiarity to broaden his filmography beyond the MCU, Holland looks to continue work on big blockbusters. Other than the gritty crime drama Cherry, which will reunite Holland with Joe and Anthony Russo, the actor’s future is filled with franchises. There is, of course, the highly-anticipated third Spider-Man movie directed by Jon Watts. But there’s also Chaos Walking and Uncharted, both of which could prove to be a test of Holland’s star power.
Chaos Walking is an adaptation of The Knife of Never Letting Go, a 2008 young adult novel by Patrick Ness. The film takes place in a dystopian future where women have essentially gone extinct, due to a virus, and the survivors have the ability to hear the thoughts of other humans and animals. Directed by Doug Liman, who also helmed Edge of Tomorrow, the film is poised to be turned into a franchise as Ness wrote a trilogy of books. However, Chaos Walking has been routinely delayed. The adaptation, which co-stars Daisy Ridley and Mads Mikkelsen, was originally meant to premiere in March 2019. It is now slated for release in January 2021.
Chaos Walking's delay is a result of extensive reshoots. While reshoots are hardly uncommon and actually quite routine for Liman’s projects, it has hampered the excitement for Chaos Walking. Compared to Uncharted and Holland’s third solo outing as Spider-Man, there’s not a lot of anticipation for the movie. The fact that Chaos Walking is scheduled for January is another warning sign, given that it’s usually the month where studios decide to place expendable films.
Uncharted, an adaptation of the immensely popular video game series of the same name, has been more closely followed. But the film has had notable stumbling blocks of its own. The project was first announced all the way back in 2008. In its earliest iteration, which was going to be directed by David O. Russell and led by Mark Wahlberg in the main role of Nathan Drake, the Uncharted adaptation was going to center around a crime family ruling the world of arts and antiquities. Some were enticed by the setup, and others argued it didn’t line up with the concept of the source material. Since then, Uncharted has gone through five different directors, who've all dropped out either due to scheduling conflicts or creative differences. Currently, after a shutdown which occurred in April due to COVID-19, Uncharted looks to be on track for its July 2021 debut with Ruben Fleischer in the director’s chair. And now, it's being told as an origin story for Nathan Drake instead of a direct adaptation of the video game series, a decision that doesn't sit well with every fan.
Another potential issue is that individual performers are less likely to sell tickets than franchises and well-known intellectual properties, as proven by Disney’s box office dominance. In the same vein though, Holland’s presence is arguably the biggest draw of either of his upcoming adaptations. Holland certainly has the talent and name recognition to build a more diverse list of credits. The actor has endeared himself to audiences thanks to his past portrayals and his off-screen persona. Hopefully, the run of bad luck of both Uncharted and Chaos Walking is in the past.