Summary
Uncharted 2has been confirmed to be in development, but its release in theaters is still years off. Details have been extremely light for the next chapter in Nathan Drake’s adventures. But if fans want anUnchartedfix, there’s a piece of professional fan media sitting on YouTube right now.
Uncharted(2022) wasn’t Naughty Dog’s most critically acclaimed outing on the big screen. When compared toThe Last of Us(2023),Unchartedfailed to make a splash with critics, only garnering 41% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was still a massive financial hit with general audiences, taking in $407.1 million from a budget of $120 million. But fans of the series were frustrated that the film’s portrayal was short of being faithful.Tom Holland was a good fitfor a younger Nathan Drake, but veteranUnchartedgamers were used to playing an older Drake and going on adventures with an older Sully (Mark Wahlberg). So, it felt slightly jarring to have Spider-Man running around as the lead protagonist with Wahlberg as his mentor. The film also failed to capture Uncharted’s unique energy: a balance of comedy, action, drama, and mystery that had previously made the video games such a wild success.
Before Holland’sUncharted, the series had been through years of development hell, failing to gain traction and get off the ground. Multiple redrafts and attempts were made to adapt this story to the screen. During that period, some creatives took it upon themselves to create a test pilot that delivered for a multitude of fans excited to see Drake’s story realized in live-action.In 2019, a professionally made fan filmcalledUNCHARTED - Live Action Fan Film (2018) Nathan Fillionwas released on YouTube. The film was directed by Allan Ungar, and produced by acting veteran Nathan Fillion, who also starred in the leading role.
The Uncharted Fan Film Captured The Magic Of The Games
TheUNCHARTED Fan Filmcaptured something that the official live-action adaptation failed to portray: the magic of the core team. More specifically, the relationships between its central cast of characters, namely: Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan (Sully), and Elena Fisher. These characters were part of the franchise from thevery first video game,Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.They are played by Nathan Fillion, Stephen Lang, and Mircea Monroe respectively, and their chemistry is undeniable. In this short, shy of a fifteen-minute runtime, Fillion and Ungar were able to perfectly portray the energy between these characters. The final teaser scene towards the end feels like a scene ripped straight out of the games. The 2022Unchartedfilm, with its one-hundred and sixteen-minute runtime, feels like a poor echo of the characters in comparison. Outside the franchise’s plot-oriented puzzle-solving narratives, it’s these overarching relationships that drive fans' love of the story, and theFan Filmmanaged to nail them.
The tone of thisFan Filmalso feels more accurate to the games. Fillion and Ungar spoke at a 2018 Comic Con panel about the upcoming release of their fan short, and when the interviewers discussed the game’s unique tonal balance, Fillion voiced his preference for how anUnchartedmovie should feel:
“If I was given the choice of - so, the first time I get to see something Uncharted related, will it be sad and heavy, or fun and light. I would pick fun and light.”
Fillion isn’t wrong. For all ofUncharted’sdramatic moments, it has always been the lighter Naughty Dog property, something that the film attempted to recreate in a limited way.
Fillion has always been an avidUnchartedfan, and his passion is on full display here. Other than their first namesake, he is in many ways the perfect casting for an adult Nathan Drake.Fillion’s performance in theFan Filmcaptured an ideal balance of witty, humorous heroism, a curious fascination with the occult, and a dramatic delivery of the serious stakes throughout. It’s a combination that has followed Fillion throughout his career and has been a trademark of much of his work. ManyUnchartedfans have picked Fillion as an ideal casting for an older Nathan Drake if Sony ever chose to cast a different actor to Holland in another live-action film. Still doubtful over which version fans prefer? Take note of the 15 million views thisFan Filmhas accumulated, and read fans' overwhelming preference for this version in the comments.Unchartedgamers were clearly captivated by Fillion and Ungar’s joint project.
If the sequel decides to drastically age-up the character, maybe it’s not too late for Fillion to take up the mantle of the series. Until more announcements are released about theUnchartedsequel, thisFan Filmwill at least provide some brief respite during the long wait for more news.
