Uncharted has been in development for a number of years now, and just when it started looking like the big screen adaptation of the hit PlayStation video game franchise might never happen, the movie has been given a shot in the arm with the addition of Oscar winning screenwriter Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker).
Boal, who also penned Zero Dark Thirty, may seem like an unusual choice for the movie which is being envisioned as a swashbuckling adventure in the vein of Indiana Jones, but he’s said to be a fan of the series.
The adaptation of the critically acclaimed video game trilogy – a fourth will be released on the PlayStation 4 – has gone through a number of iterations, with Safe House scribe David Guggenheim responsible for the most recent draft. Before that, David O. Russell (American Hustle) penned a version he was hoping to direct which would have starred Mark Wahlberg, but the unfaithful take never gained much traction.
However, Guggenheim’s version of Uncharted apparently got the studio really excited about the project, and that is why Boal has now been brought on board to do what is described as a three week production polish.
Uncharted focuses on Nathan Drake, a descendent of explorer Sir Francis Drake, who believes he has learned the whereabouts of the fabled golden South American city El Dorado from a cursed statue. His search for El Dorado becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the fray. Both face creatures, mutated descendants of Spaniards and Nazis, that begin attacking those hoping to learn the treasure’s true secrets.
Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt was apparently offered the lead role recently but decided to pass.
