David O. Russell to Write and Direct UNCHARTED: DRAKES FORTUNE
The film version of the hit video game Uncharted: Drakes Fortune is moving forward into production with David O. Russell as the films writer and director! We reported on the fact that Russell was on the producers list of possible directors back in May. This news was confirmed by Sony Pictures, and for those of you who don't know, Russell has directed films such as Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees and The Fighter. I liked the two films that I've seen, and The Fighter looks great, so I think Uncharted is in good hands. There's hope the the movie is on the road to a decent adaptation. At least I hope it is, you all know the poor track record video game film adaptations have.
The story follows a descendant of explorer Sir Francis Drake, a treasure hunter named Nate Drake who believes he has learned the whereabouts of El Dorado, the fabled South American golden city, from a cursed golden statue. The search becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the fray, then is ratcheted up several notches when creatures actually mutated descendants of Spaniards and Nazis begin attacking those hoping to learn the treasure’s true secrets.
Russell will be working with a previous script written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, whose screenwriting credits include Sahara, A Sound of Thunder, and the upcoming Dylan Dog adaptation Dead of Night as well as the Marcus Nispel remake of Conan. Not the best screenwriting track record, but Russell will work some magic on this screenplay before he shoots it.
I don't know if you've played the most recent Uncharted 2 video game yet, but it's pretty freakin incredible. On top of the amazing graphics, it has a fantastic story, great writing, and wonderful characters. The video game has been like watching a really good movie. I can only hope that the studio will be able to make a movie just as good or better than the this video game, because I think it's going to be hard to top.
It's cool that the film is finally moving forward, I just hope they do a great job! The story has the potential to be an incredible action adventure film.
Here's the official press release:
DAVID O. RUSSELL TO WRITE AND DIRECT
“UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE”
CULVER CITY, Calif., October 8, 2010 – David O. Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter) has been set to write and direct Columbia Pictures’ Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, an action-adventure based upon the bestselling PlayStation 3 game, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures. The film will be produced by Avi Arad, Charles Roven, Ari Arad, and Alex Gartner.
The story follows the adventures of treasure hunter Nathan Drake.
Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, “David is a tremendous choice to take on this film. He’s equally adept at combining all the classic elements involved in this property: great character development, strong comedy, and amazing action sequences. He has a brilliant vision for this material and we know he will bring his original, unique voice to this adaptation.”
The game, developed by the acclaimed team at Naughty Dog, was one of Sony Computer Entertainment’s best-selling and most critically acclaimed games for the PS3. Named IGN’s Best Action Game and Best PS3 Game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune sold one million copies in the first 10 weeks of its release at the end of 2007 on its way to moving more than 2.6 (confirm) million copies and spawning a sequel. That sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, was a major commercial and critical success, winning Game of the Year honors from several influential critics, being named the most critically acclaimed game of the year by Metacritic, and selling more than 3.8 million copies worldwide. Both games are among the all-time best-selling games for the platform.
The project will be overseen at Columbia Pictures by Tolmach and Jonathan Kadin.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.