Director Dan Trachtenberg Explains Why His UNCHARTED Film Won't Directly Adapt the Games

A lot of Uncharted fans aren’t very happy with the direction that this upcoming film adaptation is taking. While almost all fans want to see an older, seasoned version of Nathan Drake on the big screen, this new film will deal with a younger, inexperienced version played by Tom Holland.

The story for the film is said to take place “when Nathan Drake (who’s the lead of that game) and Sully, I guess you’d call him his surrogate father, were much younger. It’s an origin story that evolves out of the game but is not from the game."

Director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) is set to helm the film, and in a recent interview with GamesRadar, he explained why his Uncharted movie won’t directly adapt the games. He feels that a straight adaptation would not stack up well to the source material. He said:

“[I] have been approached with different versions of this tale, and have always been not that interested in it because I didn't really want to trace the game.”

He went on to try to sell the fans on his vision of the story, saying:

“I didn't really feel like it was at all worthy of making a video game adaptation, [if[ we're just gonna copy what the game is and just serve people a lesser experience than what they've experienced in such an incredible way.”

Trachtenberg goes on to say that he believes “if Naughty Dog so chose to make another Uncharted game featuring Nate and Sully… this movie's story is probably the story that they would want to tell.”

I get what Trachtenberg is saying. I understand it, and I agree with him! But there are other stories to tell with a seasoned Nathan Drake! He doesn’t have to re-tell the stories from the game, there are plenty of other adventures that could be told with an older, rugged, badass version of Nathan Drake that we all know and want to see on the big screen.

But with Tom Holland in the role, that’s a version of Nathan Drake that we may never see on the big screen! Don’t get me wrong, I like Holland. He’s a great Spider-Man! But he’ll never grow into the hardcore version of Nathan Drake from the video games. That’s my big problem with the upcoming adaptation.

But maybe Trachtenberg will deliver a solid story that fans will enjoy. I don’t know, but right now, I’m just not that excited about the movie because the casting for Nathan Drake doesn’t really work. Nathan Fillion is one actor who is perfect for the role!

The Uncharted movie is set to be released on December 18, 2020.