Warning: This post contains spoilers for Uncharted.
The reveal that Sam Drake is alive is one of Uncharted's biggest credits scene reveals, but who will play him in Uncharted 2? Tom Holland's Uncharted movie follows a young Nathan Drake as he meets and teams up with Mark Wahlberg's Victor "Sully" Sullivan to hunt for Ferdinand Magellan's lost treasure. One of the driving forces behind the film's events, despite his absence, is Nate's brother Sam.
Sam appears in flashback sequences played by Outer Banks star Rudy Pankow, but much of the film's present-day narrative centers around Nathan's search for his missing older brother. Despite Nathan being told in the film that Sam was killed off-screen, an Uncharted credits scene reveals that Sam is alive, indicating that he will likely appear as an adult in the franchise somewhere down the line. Director Ruben Fleischer won't reveal who plays Sam, though, causing many to wonder if his adult face will be a familiar one.
Exactly who will play Sam Drake is hard to say. If his video game counterpart is anything to go by, it's possible that the character will play a large role in any potential sequels, which means that any actor playing him will likely need big-screen credentials to rival those of co-stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. There's also the look and age of the character to consider - they'll need to share at least a passing resemblance to Rudy Pankow, and be roughly 30 years old, but ideally, they'll need to compare with the Uncharted video game character, too. Here are some of the best potential castings for Sam Drake in Uncharted 2.
Jamie Bell
There's a strong case for casting Jamie Bell as Sam Drake in Uncharted 2, mostly down to his striking resemblance to Tom Holland. The two would certainly look convincing as brothers, and Bell's list of credits more than qualify him for a role in Uncharted 2. Jamie Bell appeared in Peter Jackson's King Kong, proving that he's capable of doing big-budget adventure films. However, as well as King Kong, he's also had a number of action roles, including Snowpiercer, Jumper, and Josh Trank's ill-fated 2015 Fantastic Four reboot.
As well as their facial similarities, Bell's career shares a number of parallels with Holland's. They both rose to fame playing the title character in Billy Elliot (Bell in the 2000 film of the same name, and Holland in the West End musical), and have both had roles in superhero films - although Holland's was far better received than Bell's. However, Bell is an acclaimed actor in his own right, and could certainly make use of his dramatic chops if he was cast in the role of Sam Drake.
Taron Egerton
Another actor with a number of acclaimed roles under his belt, Taron Egerton would also be a good choice for Sam Drake. As well as being around the appropriate age and sharing a resemblance with both Rudy Pankow and Sam Drake from the Uncharted games, Egerton's a talented actor, too. Rocketman was considered one of the best movies of 2019, and Egerton's turn as Elton John earned him a Golden Globe (Best Actor - Musical or Comedy).
Like Bell, Egerton's previous credits potentially qualify him for a role in an action-adventure film like Uncharted. As the star of the first two Kingsman movies, Egerton is no stranger to on-screen action, but he's also capable of bringing subtle comedy to his performances. Egerton himself is also almost exactly the age that Sam Drake would be, making his potential casting in Uncharted 2 all the more possible.
George MacKay
George MacKay's work may be slightly less mainstream than that of Bell and Egerton, but he's very much a rising star, and he certainly looks the part. Perhaps best known for his role as the main character in Sam Mendes' 1917, MacKay has garnered impressive critical acclaim for his work. However, his potential casting as Sam Drake in Uncharted 2 is less about his credentials and more about the way that he could fit the part.
As well as being around the right age, MacKay shares a striking resemblance with the younger Sam Drake, Rudy Pankow. More than that, though, MacKay often brings a quiet intensity to his roles that could prove to be an interesting aspect of his theoretical role as Sam. With Uncharted's credits scene revealing that Sam is being held prisoner in an unknown location, he's likely to be a more intense figure than Holland's Nathan - something that MacKay has proven he's more than capable of delivering.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
As well as being cast as the titular character in Sony's Kraven the Hunter movie, Aaron Taylor-Johnson could convincingly portray Sam Drake in Uncharted 2. Taylor-Johnson is another actor that has proven both his dramatic ability and his big-screen credentials, appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2014's Godzilla, and Kick-Ass. Much like his potential on-screen brother Tom Holland, Taylor-Johnson has proven the range of his acting talent.
However, this isn't the only consideration for the part of Sam Drake. Taylor-Johnson certainly has the look of a younger version of the games' Sam Drake, and he could convincingly play Holland's brother. He's six years older than Holland, too, which puts him in exactly the right age range to play Uncharted 2's Sam. Whether or not Aaron Taylor-Johnson could be the figure in Uncharted's post-credits scene is up for debate, but he could certainly do justice to the character of Sam Drake in an Uncharted sequel.
Zac Efron
It's all too easy to dismiss Zac Efron as too clean-cut to play a roguish, enigmatic figure like Sam Drake, but he'd actually be a remarkably good choice for the role in Uncharted 2. Despite his Disney Channel roots, Efron has spent the years since proving how versatile a performer he is. With roles in musicals (The Greatest Showman), comedies (Neighbors, Dirty Grandpa), and even in biographical crime thriller Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile as Ted Bundy, Efron has repeatedly defied expectations of his perceived limitations.
Securing another A-list name like Efron's to go alongside Holland and Wahlberg's would undoubtedly be something Sony would look to do for Uncharted 2. Efron also looks enough like Rudy Pankow that revealing him as Sam Drake from Uncharted's ending would be both believable and shocking. Much like Holland and Wahlberg, Efron's a bankable star, so him being cast as Sam Drake in Uncharted 2 would certainly make sense.
Actors Who Could Have Played Sam When Uncharted Was First Being Made
It's no secret that Uncharted's production history was particularly turbulent. The film was originally announced way back in 2008, and due to delays over the course of more than a decade, numerous actors have been attached to the franchise. Had the film been made closer to the beginning of production, a potential Sam Drake character could have been played by someone very different.
Considering the character's initial appearance in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, a number of actors could have played Sam were it not for the delays in production and the decision to make Tom Holland's Uncharted a prequel to the game franchise's story. Had Uncharted been made earlier (or if the film had been a more direct adaptation of the games), actors like Bradley Cooper, Sam Worthington, or Jared Padalecki could all have convincingly played Sam Drake. However, with the current status of the potential franchise, the role will have to go to a younger actor—although at present, Uncharted 2's existence hinges entirely upon Uncharted performing well at the box office.