Sony Pictures has had a hell of a time trying to get their film adaptation of Uncharted off the ground and into production. They’ve gone through seven different directors! Shawn Levy, Joe Carnahan, David O. Russell, Neil Burger, Seth Gordon, Dan Trachtenberg, and most recently Travis Knight (Bumblebee), have been attached to the film and then they’ve all left.
Well, the studio is currently trying to find another director to fill the void and take on the project. According to Deadline, Venom director Ruben Fleischer is atop the list to direct the movie. He most recently helmed Zombieland: Double Tap for the studio. Fleischer is a hit or miss filmmaker for me. Some of his films are solid while others are very mediocre.
His directing style mixed with the direction that the studio wants to take the film and the story seems like a recipe for a mediocre Uncharted movie. Tom Holland is set to play a young version of Nathan Drake, and the film will tell “an origin story that evolves out of the game but is not from the game.” It will follow the character as he grows into the treasure hunter that we all know from the game. Mark Wahlberg is set to play Darke’s mentor Sully.
I think that a filmmaker like Travis Knight could have actually made this work story to an extent. There are other filmmakers that have that ability as well. I just don’t think that Fleisher has got what it takes to do that. His name possibly being attached to this movie just doesn’t get me excited. Maybe it’s different for you. Maybe you’ve loved his films! I just think a film like Uncharted needs a great director who knows how to tell a great story, especially to effectively pull off the story that the studio is hell-bent on telling.
What do you think about Ruben Fleischer possibly coming on board to direct Uncharted?