Uncharted Movie Finds New Director
By Brad Jones 25 October 2016
After several attempts to get the project off the ground, Sony Pictures announces a new director for the long-gestating film adaptation of Uncharted.
Earlier this year, the Uncharted franchise came to a close with the release of its fourth mainline installment, A Thief’s End. However, there have long been plans to bring the series to the multiplex, and yesterday the project took another big jump towards the start of production.
Sony Pictures has announced that Shawn Levy is now expected to take on directorial duties for the Uncharted movie. Levy is best known for directing films like the Night at the Museum series and Real Steel, and last year helmed two episodes of the hugely popular Netflix series Stranger Things.
It’s easy to see how someone with Levy’s knack for light-hearted action and adventure would be picked to turn one of the PlayStation’s biggest franchises of the past decade into a summer tentpole. However, he’s far from the first director to be attached to the project.
The movie was first announced in 2008, and by 2010 it was expected that David O. Russell would direct — however, he dropped out around a year later to work on the Oscar-nominated Silver Linings Playbook. Limitless director Neil Burger was brought in a replacement, but moved on shortly afterward.
In 2014, it seemed that production was drawing nearer, as Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon was hired. After Gordon exited in 2015, the movie’s screenwriter, Joe Carnahan, was eyed as his replacement — but he declined in favor of directing the upcoming Bad Boys For Life.
That brings us up to date, demonstrating that Sony Pictures has been looking for someone with experience directing both comedy and action for some time. Levy seems to fit that bill, although there’s obviously still a good chance that the project could crumble before anything is committed to film.
In September, the Uncharted movie was removed from the Sony Pictures schedule of upcoming projects, prompting some concern among fans looking forward to the film. However, it seems clear that the unveiling of a new director is meant to subdue any worries that Nathan Drake and co. won’t make it to the big screen.
The film adaptation of Uncharted has already seen plenty of trials and tribulations, and there’s sure to be more on the road ahead before it reaches cinemas. That said, at least the project is faring better than the movie based on The Last of Us, which is apparently still stuck in development hell.
Source: Deadline
