''Uncharted'' is a 2022 American
action-adventure film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
directed by
Ruben Fleischer
Ruben Samuel Fleischer (born October 31, 1974) is an American film director, film producer, television producer, music video director, and commercial director who lives in Montclair, New Jersey. He is best known as the director of ''Zombieland'' ...
from a screenplay by
Rafe Lee Judkins,
Art Marcum, and
Matt Holloway, based on the
video game franchise of the same name developed by
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. Gav ...
and published by
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game industry, video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is ma ...
. It stars
Tom Holland
Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...
as
Nathan Drake and
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...
as
Victor Sullivan, with
Sophia Ali
Sophia Taylor Ramsey Ali is an American actress. She is best known for her work in the MTV romantic comedy series '' Faking It'', the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and '' The Wilds''.
Life
Ali is Pakistani American. She was born ...
,
Tati Gabrielle
Tatiana Gabrielle Hobson (born January 25, 1996) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Gaia on The CW science fiction television series '' The 100'', Prudence on the Netflix original series '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', M ...
, and
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Antonio Ba ...
in supporting roles. In the film, Drake is recruited by Sullivan in a race against corrupt billionaire Santiago Moncada (Banderas) and mercenary leader Jo Braddock (Gabrielle) to locate the fabled treasure of the
Magellan expedition
The Magellan expedition, also known as the Magellan–Elcano expedition, was the first voyage around the world in recorded history. It was a 16th century Spanish expedition initially led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the Moluccas ...
.
The film entered development in 2008 with producer
Avi Arad
Avi Arad (; he, אבי ארד; born 1948) is an Israeli-American film producer who became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, and the chairman, CEO, and founde ...
stating that he would be working with
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
to develop a film adaptation of the video game franchise. It was then in
development hell
Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between different crews, scripts, game engi ...
with various directors, screenwriters, and lead cast members attached at various points. Filmmakers
David O. Russell
David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American filmmaker. His early directing career includes the comedy films ''Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996), ''Three Kings'' (1999), and ''I Heart Huckabees'' (200 ...
,
Neil Burger
Neil Norman Burger (born November 22, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is known for the fake-documentary ''Interview with the Assassin'' (2002), the period drama '' The Illusionist'' (2006), '' Limitless'' (2011), and the sci-fi action film '' ...
,
Seth Gordon
Seth Lewis Gordon (born July 15, 1974) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor. He has produced and directed for film and television, including for PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations Sta ...
,
Dan Trachtenberg
Dan Trachtenberg (born May 11, 1981) is an American filmmaker and podcast host.Rachel Kurland, Scare Tactics Pay off for Cheltenham’s Dan Trachtenberg'. The Jewish Exponent. March 14, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2017. He is best known for direct ...
,
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian film director, film producer, actor, and founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. He has worked across genres and is perhaps best known as the director of the ''Night at the Museum'' film franchise an ...
, and
Travis Knight
Travis Andrew Knight (born September 13, 1973) is an American animator, producer, director, and former rapper who has worked as the lead animator and current CEO for the stop-motion animation studio Laika, and directed the films ''Kubo and the Tw ...
were initially signed to direct while Wahlberg was set to play Drake in early development. Holland was cast as Drake in May 2017 and Fleischer was hired as the director in early 2020. Filming began in March 2020, but was halted by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. It resumed in July and finished in October, with locations including
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, and
Kiamba.
Originally set to be released on December 18, 2020, the film faced major delays due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. It eventually premiered at the
Coliseum
The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...
in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
on February 7, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States by
Sony Pictures Releasing
Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainme ...
on February 18. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who found it to be a misleading adaptation of the video game franchise and underwhelming compared to other action-adventure films. The film grossed $401.7 million worldwide, making it the
fifth-highest-grossing video game film of all time.
Plot
Orphaned brothers
Sam and
Nathan "Nate" Drake are caught trying to steal a map made after the
Magellan expedition
The Magellan expedition, also known as the Magellan–Elcano expedition, was the first voyage around the world in recorded history. It was a 16th century Spanish expedition initially led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the Moluccas ...
from a
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
museum. Before the orphanage can expel Sam, he sneaks out to be on his own, but promises Nate that he will return, leaving him a ring belonging to their ancestor Sir
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...
(although Sir Francis Drake actually had no children).
Fifteen years later, Nate works as a
bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
pickpockets
Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A th ...
wealthy patrons.
Victor "Sully" Sullivan, a fortune hunter who worked with Sam tracking treasure hidden by the Magellan crew, explains to Nate that Sam vanished after helping him steal
Juan Sebastian Elcano's diary. Nate, having stopped receiving postcards from Sam, agrees to help Sully find him. Sully and Nate go to an auction to steal a golden cross linked to the Magellan crew, where they meet Santiago Moncada, the last descendant of the Moncada family, who had financed Magellan‘s expedition, and Jo Braddock, leader of Moncada's mercenaries. Nate is ambushed by Braddock's men, and the ensuing fight creates a distraction for Sully to steal the cross.
The duo travel to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, where the treasure is supposedly hidden, and rendezvous with Sully's contact
Chloe Frazer
Chloe Frazer is a fictional character in the ''Uncharted'' series, developed by Naughty Dog. Chloe, like series protagonist Nathan Drake, is a treasure hunter. Introduced in '' Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'', where she has a romantic history wi ...
, who has another cross. Nate, Chloe, and Sully follow clues in Elcano's diary to
Santa Maria del Pi
Santa Maria del Pi (, meaning "St. Mary of the Pine") is a 15th-century Gothic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Plaça del Pi, in the Barri Gòtic district of the city.
History
It is known that in 987 there existed ...
, finding a secret crypt behind the altar. Nate and Chloe enter, finding a trap door, but as they open it, the crypt floods with water. Sully helps them escape after subduing an ambush by Braddock. Using the two crosses to unlock a secret passage, Nate and Chloe find a map indicating the treasure is in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. Chloe betrays Nate and leaves to take the map to Moncada, hinting Sully is keeping a secret about Sam.
Sully recovers Nate and reveals that Sam was shot and apparently killed by Braddock three years prior and that he left him for dead, straining their partnership. Moncada, Chloe, and Braddock's team depart in a cargo plane to find the treasure, where Braddock kills Moncada, gaining control of the operation. After Nate and Sully board the plane, Nate confronts Braddock. A battle ensues; Sully parachutes out with the map, while Nate and Chloe are ejected from the plane landing in the Philippines, where they realize the map does not pinpoint the treasure. Nate discovers the treasure's true location through hints left by Sam's postcards, but leaves fake coordinates for Chloe after correctly doubting her loyalties. He discovers the Magellan ships and reunites with Sully. Braddock follows them, forcing Nate and Sully to hide as her crew airlifts the ships.
In their escape, Sully commandeers one of the helicopters, and Braddock orders another helicopter to approach for a boarding action. Nate defends himself from her mercenaries and shoots down the other helicopter with one of the ship's cannons. When Braddock corners Nate, Sully throws a bag of collected treasure at her, casting her into the sea, where she is killed when the ship falls on her. As Filipino
naval units arrive, Nate and Sully get away with a few pieces of pickpocketed treasure while an arriving Chloe is left empty handed. Meanwhile, an imprisoned Sam, revealed to be alive & having somehow survived being shot by Braddock, writes another postcard to Nate asking him to watch his back.
In a
mid-credits scene
A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...
, Nate meets with a man working for
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
, offering his ring for a "Nazi map" he has. He tries to betray Nate, but Sully saves him. They escape, but are cornered by an unseen figure.
Cast
*
Tom Holland
Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...
as
Nathan "Nate" Drake: A young
bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...
who is recruited by Sully to find the fabled treasure of the
Magellan expedition
The Magellan expedition, also known as the Magellan–Elcano expedition, was the first voyage around the world in recorded history. It was a 16th century Spanish expedition initially led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the Moluccas ...
and claims to be a descendant of famed English explorer Sir
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...
.
To practice as a
barman
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...
, Holland was taught how to do shifts by the
Chiltern Firehouse
The Chiltern Firehouse is a restaurant and hotel located at 1 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, London, England occupying the Grade II listed building of the former Marylebone Fire Station, also known as Manchester Square Fire Station. It is owned b ...
staff.
When filming halted due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Holland continued to train for the role.
** Tiernan Jones as young Nate.
*
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...
as
Victor "Sully" Sullivan: A seasoned fortune hunter who previously worked with Nathan's brother, Sam.
Wahlberg was originally set to star as Drake in early development.
*
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Antonio Ba ...
as Santiago Moncada: A ruthless treasure hunter and the descendant of the Moncada family.
*
Sophia Ali
Sophia Taylor Ramsey Ali is an American actress. She is best known for her work in the MTV romantic comedy series '' Faking It'', the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and '' The Wilds''.
Life
Ali is Pakistani American. She was born ...
as
Chloe Frazer
Chloe Frazer is a fictional character in the ''Uncharted'' series, developed by Naughty Dog. Chloe, like series protagonist Nathan Drake, is a treasure hunter. Introduced in '' Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'', where she has a romantic history wi ...
: A fellow fortune hunter, and Sully's associate.
*
Tati Gabrielle
Tatiana Gabrielle Hobson (born January 25, 1996) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Gaia on The CW science fiction television series '' The 100'', Prudence on the Netflix original series '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', M ...
as Jo Braddock: A mercenary working with Moncada against Nathan and Sully.
*
Rudy Pankow
Rudy Pankow () is an American actor. He stars as JJ Maybank on the Netflix teen drama series ''Outer Banks''.
Early life
Pankow was born and raised in Ketchikan, Alaska. He began his interest in acting and production in middle school via YouTube ...
as
Samuel "Sam" Drake: Nathan's long-lost brother.
Manuel de Blas
Manuel de Blas Muñoz (born 12 April 1941) is a Spanish film, television, and stage actor.
Biography
Manuel de Blas was born in Badajoz in 1941. He spent his childhood in Córdoba and subsequently moved to Madrid to study political science. ...
appears as Armando Moncada, Santiago's father who he kills to fund his expedition,
Steven Waddington
Steven Waddington (born 30 December 1967) is an English film and television actor. He is best known for his supporting role in Michael Mann's ''The Last of the Mohicans''.
Early life
Waddington was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...
as the Scotsman,
Alana Boden
Alana Evie Boden (born 1997) is a English actress. She was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for her performance in the Lifetime film ''I Am Elizabeth Smart'' (2017).
Early life
Boden was born in Surrey and grew up in Hampshire. She has t ...
as Zoe, and Pingi Moli as Hugo.
Nolan North
Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles.
After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
, who provides the voice and
motion capture
Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
of Nathan Drake in the video games, has a cameo as a hotel guest on the beach who talks to Nathan and Chloe.
Pilou Asbæk
Johan Philip "Pilou" Asbæk (; born 2 March 1982) is a Danish actor. He is known for his role as troubled spin doctor Kasper Juul in the Danish television political drama '' Borgen'', and as Euron Greyjoy in the television series ''Game of Thro ...
portrays Gage in the mid-credits scene,
and
ElrubiusOMG
Rubén Doblas Gundersen (; born 13 February 1990), better known as elrubiusOMG or simply El Rubius (), is a Spanish-Norwegian YouTuber whose channel primarily consists of gameplays and vlogs. He has the most subscribers in Spain and is among th ...
appears as a background extra in Barcelona.
Production
Development
In 2008, film producer
Avi Arad
Avi Arad (; he, אבי ארד; born 1948) is an Israeli-American film producer who became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s and soon afterward became the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment, and the chairman, CEO, and founde ...
stated that he was working with a division of Sony to develop the film adaptation of ''
Uncharted
''Uncharted'' is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the ''Uncharted'' franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who travel across the wo ...
''.
In response to a question posed to Richard Lemarchand, lead game designer of
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog, LLC (formerly JAM Software, Inc.) is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. Gav ...
, on whether he would like to see a film adaptation of ''Uncharted'', he replied "no comment".
Since then,
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
had confirmed that an ''Uncharted'' film was being developed. The film was at first to be written by
Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer
Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer are American screenwriters who have collaborated on a number of projects from ''Thoughtcrimes'' in 2003 through an adaptation of Brian Freeman's ''Infinite'' in 2021.
Filmography
*'' Thoughtcrimes'' ...
and produced by Avi Arad,
Charles Roven
Charles Roven (born August 2, 1949) is an American film producer and the president and co-founder of Atlas Entertainment. He is known for producing the superhero films ''The Dark Knight Trilogy'', ''Suicide Squad (film), Suicide Squad'', ''Man o ...
, and
Alex Gartner.
As of June 30, 2009, it was confirmed that the ''Uncharted'' film had been in development for the last year and a half.
Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion (; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian-American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on '' Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on '' Castle''. , he was starring as J ...
expressed an interest in playing
Nathan Drake, and started a campaign on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
to encourage fans to support him in the
endeavor.
In an August 2010 interview, Naughty Dog told
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
University how close they really were with the development of the film and that they had trust with all who were working on it.
![Ruben Fleischer by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Ruben_Fleischer_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
On October 8, 2010, it was announced by
Doug Belgrad
Doug Belgrad is an American film and television producer. He was previously an executive at Sony for nearly 27 years before founding 2.0 Entertainment, a film and television production and co-financing company based at Sony. He is known for supe ...
and
, co-presidents of Columbia Pictures, that
David O. Russell
David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American filmmaker. His early directing career includes the comedy films ''Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996), ''Three Kings'' (1999), and ''I Heart Huckabees'' (200 ...
had been set to write and direct the film, an
action adventure
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
based upon the first game in the series. The film would be produced by Avi Arad, Charles Roven, and Alex Gartner.
Following a screening of Russell's film, ''
The Fighter
''The Fighter'' is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and stars Mark Wahlberg (who also produced), Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. The film centers on the lives of professional boxer Micky ...
'', he was approached by a fan of the ''Uncharted'' series who asked whether he had considered Fillion for the role of Nathan Drake for the upcoming film due to the high number of requests for him to fulfill the role. Russell was unaware of the interest in Fillion and who he was and seemed to quickly dismiss the idea.
Fillion would then later go on to do a short
''Uncharted'' fan-film 8 years later, featuring him as Nathan Drake to positive reception.
On November 24, 2010, an interview with
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...
was published by ''
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
'' with the actor discussing his involvement in the film adaptation of the popular franchise. He stated that Russell was currently writing the script and was excited for what he had in store, hoping to shoot in the middle of 2011: "I'm obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts:
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
being my father,
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films ''Ra ...
being my uncle. It's not going to be the watered-down version, that's for sure."
On May 26, 2011, it was reported that Russell had departed the film to direct ''
Silver Linings Playbook
''Silver Linings Playbook'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David O. Russell. The film was based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel ''The Silver Linings Playbook''. It stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawre ...
''.
On July 6, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' reported that
Neil Burger
Neil Norman Burger (born November 22, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is known for the fake-documentary ''Interview with the Assassin'' (2002), the period drama '' The Illusionist'' (2006), '' Limitless'' (2011), and the sci-fi action film '' ...
was stepping in for Russell. Burger landed the offer after the studio and producers Avi Arad, Charles Roven, and Alex Gartner sparked to his new take on the film. Burger spoke out about the film in July, saying the following:
We're re-writing the script from scratch ..and until the screenplay is written you never know who's going to be acting in it or not. I think it's a great adventure, it has pretty great character at its core utthere will be (balance) in this ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to:
Acronyms
* Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product
* '' I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1
* Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets
* Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion ...
t'sone that is a very great adventure, and it's just a matter of pulling out the cool intense stuff that works for the film story, and making sure the story supports those elements and also makes us connected to the character.
On August 23, 2012, Burger dropped out to work on ''
Divergent'' and the studio hired the husband and wife team of
Marianne and Cormac Wibberley to rewrite the film.
In an interview with ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'',
Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
and
Evan Goldberg
Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American filmmaker and comedian. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on the films '' Superbad'', ''Pineapple Express'', ''This Is the End'', ''The Interview'', and ''Go ...
said they were asked to write the film multiple times, but declined all of them.
On February 4, 2014, ''Deadline'' reported that
Seth Gordon
Seth Lewis Gordon (born July 15, 1974) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor. He has produced and directed for film and television, including for PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations Sta ...
would direct the film with the latest script being written by
David Guggenheim
David Guggenheim is an American screenwriter, producer, and novelist, best known for writing the 2012 films ''Safe House'' and ''Stolen'', as well as creating and writing for the 2016 television series ''Designated Survivor''. In 2013, the film ...
.
Production was set to begin in early 2015.
The film was originally scheduled for release on June 10, 2016.
On November 12, 2014, the studio hired
Mark Boal
Mark Boal (born January 23, 1973) is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. Before he became a prominent figure of cinema, Boal worked as a journalist for such publications as ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Village Voice'', ''Salon' ...
to write the film.
After Wahlberg,
Chris Pratt
Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015). He also appeared in The WB drama series ''Everwood'' (2002–2006) an ...
was approached to portray Nathan Drake, but he declined the offer.
On June 24, 2015, Seth Gordon left the project to work on ''
Baywatch
''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...
''.
In April 2015, the script written by David Guggenheim was leaked, having been obtained in the
Sony Pictures hack
On November 24, 2014, a hacker group identifying itself as "Guardians of Peace" leaked a release of confidential data from the film studio Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). The data included personal information about Sony Pictures employees ...
.
On August 5, 2015,
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, ac ...
pushed the film's release date back to June 30, 2017.
In an interview with ''Game News Official'',
Nolan North
Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles.
After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
, who voiced Nathan Drake in the video games, stated that he believed that fans did not want an ''Uncharted'' film.
Charles Roven did reveal to ''Collider'' that what they were working on was pretty exciting, there was a director that they did not have at the moment, and they were not ready to cast that vote until they were actually ready to cast.
In April 2016,
Neil Druckmann
Neil Druckmann ( he, ניל דרוקמן; born December 5, 1978) is an Israeli-American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer who has been co-president (alongside Evan Wells) of the video game developer Naughty Dog since 2020. He ...
, who had worked on previous ''Uncharted'' games, said that the most important aspect of the film is the character relationships.
On July 29, 2016, ''Variety'' reported that
Joe Carnahan
Joseph Aaron Carnahan (born May 9, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor whose films include '' Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane''; '' Narc''; ''Smokin' Aces''; ''The A-Team''; '' The Grey''; and ''Boss Level''. He a ...
was writing the draft of the film's script.
On September 1, 2016, the film was removed from Sony's release calendar due to not having a director or cast, but Sony was still moving forward with the film.
On October 25, 2016,
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian film director, film producer, actor, and founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. He has worked across genres and is perhaps best known as the director of the ''Night at the Museum'' film franchise an ...
was announced to be directing the film.
Carnahan said to ''Collider'' that he and Levy are knowledgeable about the game, and had been hard at work getting the characters right.
The filming was set to begin in early 2017.
In early January 2017, Carnahan posted a photo on his Instagram to show that the script of the film had been completed.
In May 2017,
Tom Holland
Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...
was cast as a young Nathan Drake, with the film serving as a prequel to the games.
Television writer
Rafe Judkins
Rafe Lee Judkins (born January 8, 1983) is an American television writer, television producer, and screenwriter. He is the showrunner for the Amazon Prime Video television series ''The Wheel of Time'' and appeared as a contestant on the 11th ...
was brought on to rework the script.
On December 19, 2018, it was announced that Levy had departed the film to work on ''
Free Guy
''Free Guy'' is a 2021 American science fiction action comedy film directed and produced by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkars ...
''.
On January 14, 2019, ''Variety'' reported that
Dan Trachtenberg
Dan Trachtenberg (born May 11, 1981) is an American filmmaker and podcast host.Rachel Kurland, Scare Tactics Pay off for Cheltenham’s Dan Trachtenberg'. The Jewish Exponent. March 14, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2017. He is best known for direct ...
had signed on to direct the film.
In June 2019, ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' confirmed that the film was set to be released on December 18, 2020.
On August 22, 2019, ''Deadline'' reported that Dan Trachtenberg had exited the film, with the film scheduled to go into production in early 2020. The film would become the first feature production of Sony's
PlayStation Productions
PlayStation Productions, LLC is an American production company owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
History
Sony Interactive Entertainment launched PlayStation Productions in 2019 with a focus on adapting the company's video game franchis ...
.
On September 27, 2019, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' informed that
Travis Knight
Travis Andrew Knight (born September 13, 1973) is an American animator, producer, director, and former rapper who has worked as the lead animator and current CEO for the stop-motion animation studio Laika, and directed the films ''Kubo and the Tw ...
would direct the film.
In November, Wahlberg returned to the project to star alongside Holland in the role of Victor Sullivan.
In December 2019, Knight left the project due to scheduling conflicts with Holland, which resulted in the film losing its December 18, 2020 release date.
Pre-production
In January 2020,
Ruben Fleischer
Ruben Samuel Fleischer (born October 31, 1974) is an American film director, film producer, television producer, music video director, and commercial director who lives in Montclair, New Jersey. He is best known as the director of ''Zombieland'' ...
entered talks to replace Knight as director, with the film's release date pushed back to March 5, 2021.
Chung-hoon Chung was hired as the cinematographer, while
Chris Lebenzon
Christopher Lebenzon is an American film editor with more than 36 film credits dating from 1976. The films he has edited have grossed over 10 billion dollars worldwide.
He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for the f ...
and
Richard Pearson served as editors.
In February 2020, Fleischer was confirmed as director, with the film's plot serving as an origin story to the games.
The film would take inspiration from the fourth game in the series, ''
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End''.
In March,
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Antonio Ba ...
,
Sophia Ali
Sophia Taylor Ramsey Ali is an American actress. She is best known for her work in the MTV romantic comedy series '' Faking It'', the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'', and '' The Wilds''.
Life
Ali is Pakistani American. She was born ...
, and
Tati Gabrielle
Tatiana Gabrielle Hobson (born January 25, 1996) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Gaia on The CW science fiction television series '' The 100'', Prudence on the Netflix original series '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', M ...
were added to the cast, with
Art Marcum and Matt Holloway
Art Marcum and Matt Holloway are an American screenwriting duo, best known for writing the scripts of ''Iron Man'' and '' Punisher: War Zone''.
Career
In 2008, Marcum and Holloway wrote the script of Marvel Studios' superhero film ''Iron Man'' ...
contributing to the script.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on March 16, 2020, in
Babelsberg Studios
Babelsberg Film Studio (german: Filmstudio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the second oldest large-scale film studio in the world only preceded by the Danish Nordisk Film (est. 1906), producing films since ...
, near
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Germany.
Filming was shut down later that day due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
It was believed filming had resumed on July 15, 2020;
however, Sony Pictures clarified, while production had not yet resumed, they were undergoing preparations with the hope to start production soon.
Production officially resumed on July 20, 2020, shooting in Babelsberg Studios, with proper social distancing and mask requirements being implemented on and off the set.
On August 5, 2020, Banderas temporarily left production after he tested positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
On August 26, 2020, Banderas recovered from coronavirus, returning to production soon after.
On September 16, 2020, filming moved to Berlin, with set photos being released online.
In the beginning of October 2020, the production shot scenes in
Alicante
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...
and
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
, Spain, including the coastal town of
Xàbia
() or () is a coastal town and municipality in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Valencia, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. Situated on the side of the Montgó Massif, behind a wide bay and sheltered between two rocky ...
.
Digital shots were used to recreate the Philippines due to filming restrictions from the pandemic. Several action scenes drew inspiration from
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
; according to Holland, the bar fight was inspired by Chan's use of his surroundings to fight people in unique ways.
On October 23, 2020, Holland finished shooting his scenes,
before production concluded on October 29 in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
.
Reshoots took place in July 2021 in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
.
''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' reported that the film cost $120 million.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' reported on February 22, that film cost $90 million to produce,
and on February 27 they reported it cost $120 million to produce.
Music
All music is composed by
Ramin Djawadi
Ramin Djawadi (, fa, رامین جوادی; born 19 July 1974) is an Iran, Iranian and Germans, German film score, score composer. He is known for his scores for the 2008 Marvel film ''Iron Man (2008 film), Iron Man'' and the HBO series ''Game o ...
.
Djawadi also referenced
Greg Edmonson
Greg Edmonson is an American music composer for television and movies. He is primarily known for composing the soundtrack to the cult TV series '' Firefly''. He is also the composer for the first three games in the '' Uncharted'' video game seri ...
's "Nate's Theme" from ''
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune'', ''
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'', and ''
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception'' in the film. Additionally, American band Milkblood produced a song titled "No Mind", which was released in February 16, 2022 and used for the end credits sequence.
Release
Theatrical
''Uncharted'' had its world premiere in Barcelona, Spain on February 7, 2022.
The film was theatrically released by
Sony Pictures Releasing
Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainme ...
in the United States on February 18, in
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
,
Dolby Cinema
Dolby Cinema is a premium cinema created by Dolby Laboratories that combines Dolby proprietary technologies such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as other signature entrance and intrinsic design features. The technology competes with IMA ...
, and
4DX.
The film was originally set for release on December 18, 2020, and then to March 5, 2021, after
Travis Knight
Travis Andrew Knight (born September 13, 1973) is an American animator, producer, director, and former rapper who has worked as the lead animator and current CEO for the stop-motion animation studio Laika, and directed the films ''Kubo and the Tw ...
's departure.
It was further delayed to October 8, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The film was then moved up to July 16, 2021, before moving to February 11, 2022,
and then again to the following week.
Bans in the Philippines and Vietnam
''Uncharted'' was banned in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
and the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
due to the appearance of a treasure map featuring the
nine-dash line that depicts the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
as being part of China's territory. The 2019 animated film ''
Abominable'' was previously banned for showing the Chinese nine-dash line.
On March 12, 2022, ''Uncharted'' was banned from distribution in Vietnam for containing "illegal images" of the
nine-dash line. The film was due to hit Vietnamese theaters on March 18. On April 27, the
Movie and Television Review and Classification Board
(English: "For Intelligent and Responsible Viewing")
, employees = More than 33
, chief1_name = Diorella Maria Sotto-Antonio
, chief1_position = Chairperson
, agency_type = Film and television classification
, parent_agency ...
of the Philippines banned the release of ''Uncharted'' in the country following a request by the
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA; fil, Kagawaran ng Ugnayang Panlabas) is the executive department of the Philippine government tasked to contribute to the enhancement of national security, protection of the territorial integrity and ...
to do so, stating that the scenes featuring the nine-dash line were "contrary to national interest".
Home media
In April 2021, Sony signed deals with
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
and
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
for the streaming rights to their 2022 to 2026 film slate, including ''Uncharted'', following the films' theatrical and home media windows.
The film was released digitally on April 26, 2022 and was released on
Ultra HD Blu-ray
Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Bl ...
,
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
on May 10, 2022. The film was released on Netflix US on August 5, 2022, delayed from its initial release date, July 15, 2022.
Marketing
According to iSpot, Sony spent around $20 million in
television spots
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
, generating 1.12 billion impressions. The film was particularly advertised on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
,
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
,
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, and
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
across programs including
NFL football, ''
SportsCenter
''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...
'', the
2022 Winter Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...
, and the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
. Social media firm RelishMix said a commercial for the film created in a cross-promotion with
Hyundai Motors
Hyundai Motor Company, often abbreviated to Hyundai Motors ( )
and commonly known as Hyundai (, ; ), is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and founded in 1967. Currently, the company o ...
, broadcast during the pregame of
Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...
, generated 522.3 million interactions online within the first 24 hours of airing, exceeding expectations. Online accounts for the film accumulated 407,000 followers with 40.9 million views from 42 Facebook videos and 104.6 million views from 24 YouTube videos. Holland's 68.4 million followers on social media were also highlighted as significant factors in the film's box office performance.
Reception
Box office
''Uncharted'' grossed $148.7million in the United States and in Canada, and $253.3million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $401.7million.
The result lands ''Uncharted'' as the
fifth-highest-grossing film based on a video game of all time worldwide. This puts the domestic grossing position of the film as the third-highest-grossing, behind ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' and its sequel. Internationally only, ''Uncharted'' is the sixth-highest-grossing video game adaptation.
In the United States and Canada, ''Uncharted'' was released alongside ''
Dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
'' and ''
The Cursed'', and was projected to gross $25–35 million from 4,275 theaters in its opening weekend (as well as $30–40 million if including the
Presidents' Day
Presidents' Day, also called Washington's Birthday at the federal governmental level, is a holiday in the United States celebrated on the third Monday of February to honor all persons who served as presidents of the United States and, since 1879 ...
holiday).
[Multiple sources:
*
*
* ] The film earned an estimated $15.4 million on its first day, including $3.7 million from Thursday night previews.
Its opening surpassed projections, grossing in three days and in four days. It had the biggest opening during the first two months of 2022. It grossed in its second weekend, in its third, in its fourth, in its fifth, $5 million in its sixth, $3.7 million in its seventh, $2.6 million in its eighth, and $1.2 million in its ninth. The film dropped out of the box office top ten in its tenth weekend, finishing thirteenth with $470,643.
Outside the United States and Canada, the film grossed $21.5 million in its opening weekend from 15 international markets (a week before its North American opening). It opened in first place at the box office in all of its markets, including the United Kingdom ($6.4 million), Russia ($4.5 million), and Spain ($3.5 million). The film's international opening gross was reported to be ahead of the debuts of
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
' 2021 films ''
Black Widow'', ''
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 25th film ...
'', and ''
Eternals''. In its second international weekend (the same weekend it released in North America), the film grossed a further from 62 overseas territories, bringing its worldwide gross to up until then. From 64 markets, the film earned an additional $35 million in its third weekend and $17.4 million in its fourth. The film crossed the $300 million mark worldwide after adding $11.2 million in its fifth weekend, and the $200 million mark internationally with the addition of $19 million in its sixth weekend. The film earned $7.7 million in its seventh weekend, $3.1 million in its ninth, $2.1 million in its tenth, $1.4 million in its eleventh, and $1.2 million in its twelfth. It crossed the $400 million worldwide mark in its fifteenth weekend in theaters.
Critical response
The
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported an approval rating of 41%, with an average rating of 5.30/10, based on 258 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Promisingly cast but misleadingly titled, ''Uncharted'' mines its bestselling source material to produce a disappointing echo of superior adventure films". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at
PostTrak
PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios.
History
The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film ...
gave it a 79% positive score, with 61% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' found the film "watchable in a thin '
Raiders of the Lost
National Treasure
The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundame ...
of the
Fast & Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a t ...
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
' way." ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' Jeffrey Vega gave the film a 7 out of 10, stating it "plays it safe, but it's mostly a fun and effective adventure", while also praising Holland's performance. Reviewing for ''
TheWrap
''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman
Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, ...
'', Todd Gilchrist also praised Holland's performance, citing "undeniable charisma and sincerity that makes him tirelessly likable." Peter Bradshaw of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the film a 2 out of 5, labelling it "an efficient, soulless hologram". ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' Clarisse Loughrey also gave the film 2 out of 5 and criticized the casting and script, writing, "There's a lot to ''Uncharted'' that feels haphazard or under-considered." Writing for ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'', Nick de Semlyen criticized the dialogue between Holland and Wahlberg and called Banderas "a colourless villain".
Similar criticism was noted in Marshall Shaffer's review for ''The Playlist'', who wrote "every line feels as if it had to pass a corporate committee vote", giving the film a C. Robert Kojder of ''
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
'' criticized the weak chemistry between Wahlberg and Holland and the editing, stating the film "lack stakes, genuine peril, or adrenaline-pumping adventure",
which was echoed by ''
Gizmodo
''Gizmodo'' ( ) is a design, technology, science and science fiction website. It was originally launched as part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton, and runs on the Kinja platform. ''Gizmodo'' also includes the subsite ''io9'', whic ...
'' Germain Lussier, who concluded the film feels "thrown together with the hope a name brand will tie it all together".
Adam Rosenberg of ''
Mashable
Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005.
History
Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
'' praised the cinematography and compared Holland's performance to be a "nod to
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
's slapstick acrobatics", but said the story and characters were underdeveloped. Calling it a "nitwit treasure-hunt movie" in her ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' write-up, Manohla Dargis gave a negative review, saying ''Uncharted'' is "an amalgam of clichés past their sell-by date." Giving the film a C-, ''
IndieWire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
'' David Ehrlich negatively compared the film to the video games stating, "Perhaps the film's
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
approach to its action would've been more forgivable if the games weren't so frequently suffused with Spielbergian flair, just as the film's archetypal characters may have been less underwhelming had the games not managed to establish 10 times the pathos with none of the same flesh and blood." Writing for ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', Barry Hertz agreed, stating "Fleischer and his many writers delivered a straight-faced assault of under-the-top tedium", and concluding the film carries a "bizarre, utter disdain for its audience". Danny Leigh of ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'' said the film "feels uptight
ndjoyless", negatively comparing it to ''
Police Story'' and ''
Raiders of the Lost Ark
''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronal ...
'' (1981).
Writing for ''
Engadget
''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editori ...
'', Devindra Hardawar said ''Uncharted'' was "aggressively average" and criticized the screenplay, writing "our heroes quip, defy physics
utnever feel like they're in any danger". Reviewing for ''
Ars Technica
''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
'', Sam Machkovech gave a negative review regarding the film's action sequences, describing ''Uncharted'' as "a high school film class' rendition of ''
Bourne
Bourne may refer to:
Places UK
* Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town
** Bourne Abbey
** Bourne railway station
* Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex
* Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset
* Bourne ...
''", and negatively compared it to the video games. Conversely,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
Brian Lowry praised the action sequences but criticized the character development, stating it felt the filmmakers treated it as an "unnecessary distraction". Charles Pulliam-Moore of ''
The Verge
''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts.
The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...
'' also criticized the film for its lack of defined characters, writing, "The bulk of Nathan and Sully's banter falls flat due to an unfortunate blend of questionable chemistry and hackneyed dialogue as the film can't commit to a focus or a tone, making it feel much longer than it actually is all throughout".
Future
Fleischer expressed interest in a sequel, citing the car chase from ''
A Thief's End'' as a set piece he would like to replicate, but noted that it was entirely dependent on the financial success of the first film. Following its opening weekend, Chairman of Sony Pictures,
Tom Rothman
Thomas Edgar Rothman (born November 21, 1954) is an American film executive and current chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. In this role, Rothman oversees all of the studio's motion picture production and distribution activiti ...
, said ''Uncharted'' is a new
franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
for Sony.
See also
*
List of films based on video games
This page is a list of film adaptations of video games. These include local, national, international, direct-to-video and TV releases, and (in certain cases) online releases. They include their scores on Rotten Tomatoes, the region in which they ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Portal bar, Film, United States
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