David O. Russell gives update on UNCHARTED movie

David O. Russell (The Fighter) gave fans a casting update on the feature adaptation of Uncharted in a recent interview with IGN.

Uncharted will mark the fourth film that Russll and Mark Wahlberg have collaborated on. It is currently in the early stages of production for Columbia Pictures and has a rumoured release date of 2013. Wahlberg will play the lead, Nathan Drake. There have been unspecified roles rumoured for Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. There is also a female lead the director is looking into casting.

Here is what Russell had to say about being involved with the project:

Oh yes, I'm very excited about that. It's hard to keep writing in the middle of an Oscar campaign, but I'm almost done with that script, and that's going to be really fantastic. 

I think if we take that family dynamic that we have in The Fighter, and put that in terms of a grander stage, with a crime family that metes out justice in the world of art and antiquities. If you're the head of a museum, or head of state, you've got to deal with them, and they're badass. 

They're like the Sopranos in some ways, but they have great taste, and they have a sense of justice. 

I would love to do that with Mark [Wahlberg], Robert De Niro, and a couple of hot women, it could be very thrilling. 

When asked if the diretor believed it is possible to ever fully please the fans of the game franchise, the Russell responded:

I don't think that you can please everybody, but I will tell you this - I won't make it unless I can make a great movie. 

I don't think there are too many games you can play through that make you go - "Well that'll make a great movie." There's not a lot of references on it, so I don't think there's a blueprint that says you must directly translate the game to the screen. 

Games are awesome because you're playing them, so that's just a whole other thing. I'm shooting things down and climbing over cliffs, climbing through rooms, of course you have that in an action picture, but if you don't have the characters, and the whole world that's really bizarre, I don't think you have a movie that really grabs you by the throat. 

I want the gamers to be happy. I have total respect for the game. My kid loves playing it, I love playing it. I just want to create a world that takes it to another level, that's another amazing world that's more cinematic. 

I love the game and am very excited for this movie. Many fans are still pissed that Nathan Fillion is not cast as Nathan Drake, but I am not one of those fans. I love Wahhlberg and think he'll do a kick ass job on the film. To read the full article head over to IGN. 

Are you excited to see Russell's take on Uncharted?