Uncharted star Tom Holland says the movie started with his pitch for a young James Bond project. The English actor best known for playing Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe plays protagonist Nathan "Nate" Drake in the film based on the video game franchise of the same name. Uncharted is directed by Ruben Fleischer and set to release in the US on February 18, 2022.
Holland's film acts as a prequel to the popular game franchise, exploring how Nate first enters the profession of treasure hunting under the tutelage of Victor "Sully" Sullivan, played by Mark Wahlberg. The supporting cast includes Sophie Ali as Chloe Frazer, a fellow treasure hunter and Nate's love interest, Tati Gabrielle as Braddock, and Antonio Banderas as the film's ruthless villain, Moncada. The project spent years in development with a rotating set of directors and stars attached, including Wahlberg at one point being in line for the lead role.
Now, in an interview with Total Film, Holland reveals that this final iteration of the Uncharted movie actually started with a very different idea. The actor describes having approached Sony executives with a pitch for a James Bond origin story, which he acknowledges was more of a dream on his part than an actual possibility. When looking at the properties the studio had on deck, however, Holland's concept could be grafted onto the story of a young Nathan Drake. Check out full quote below:
I had a meeting, after or during Spider-Man 2 [Far From Home], with Sony to pitch this idea of a young Bond film that I’d come up with. It was the origin story of James Bond. It didn’t really make sense. It didn’t work. It was the dream of a young kid, and I don’t think the Bond estate were particularly interested. The idea of a young Bond film sparked this idea, in turn, that you could do a Nathan Drake story as an origin story, rather than as an addition to the games. And that opened a conversation.
The story certainly makes sense, as Holland has repeatedly said he wants to play Bond at some point, with the admission making waves again in the wake of Daniel Craig's era as 007 coming to an end with No Time To Die. While the young actor has been enormously successful in the MCU, he's been gradually attempting to test his star-image by taking on more adult roles and seeing where else audiences are willing to accept him. He has yet to hit paydirt with dramas, however, and Uncharted will give viewers a look at a post-superhero future of Holland as a blockbuster action star.
Given that fans of the video games seem to be somewhat nervous about the decision to make a prequel instead of adapt the source material directly, it's unclear whether they will embrace Holland as Nathan Drake. Indeed, following the release of the trailer, there was chatter online that one-time candidate Nathan Fillion should've led Uncharted, with many noting his strong resemblance to the character as presented in the games. It won't be long now that fans get to decide for themselves - presuming of course that the film doesn't suffer any pandemic-related release delays.
Source: Total Film
