Sony has been trying for years to get theUnchartedmovie off the ground, but they have a solid team in place right now. Shawn Levy (Real Steel) has been tapped to direct and, earlier this year, it was revealed thatSpider-Man: HomecomingstarTom Hollandis going to play a young version of Nathan Drake. Now, it sounds likeBreaking Badstar Bryan Cranston is circling the long-awaited video game adaptation in an unspecified role.
The news comes courtesy of That Hashtag Show, who report that Sony is currently pursuing Bryan Cranston for a “large supporting role” in theUnchartedmovie. While there’s no word on who Cranston is going to play, it is possible he could be playingVictor Sullivan. The age gap between Cranson and Tom Holland could make that tricky, but there’s no arguing that he would probably kill the role. That Hashtag Show also notes that it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that Sony could be eyeing Bryan Cranston for the villain in the movie.
Unchartedhas been in development in some form or another for years at Sony, largely because the studio owns the rights to the video game. This particular version is said to be based on a sequence fromUncharted 3: Drake’s' Redemptionsthat features ayoung Nathan Drakeon an adventure, who has his first encounter with Sullivan. This idea is said to have been from the mind of Sony’s Tom Rothman, who hatched the plan after seeing Tom Holland inSpider-Man: Homecoming. The hope is that they can turn this into a multi-movie franchise. Having a young, lovable actor can help make that happen.
Word onUnchartedhas been pretty quiet ever since it was announced that Tom Holland is going to be the face of the franchise. Prior to that announcementJoe Carnahan(The Grey) had taken a crack at the screenplay, but the studio did bring in a new writer once they decided to go with the young Nathan Drake angle. Sony also hasn’t set a release date for the movie yet, but it is expected that the movie could should some time in 2018, if everything comes together. Though, Holland’s busy schedule withAvengers 4and theSpider-Man: Homecomingsequel could get in the way of that.
Despite a great many attempts over the last two decades, nobody in Hollywood has really cracked the code on thevideo game moviejust yet. More recent examples of disappointments that had a lot of potential includeWarcraftandAssassin’s Creed, both of which have rich story to mine, much likeUncharteddoes. But Sony is taking their time and is trying to get the right pieces in place forUncharted. They haven’t rushed any of these other versions into production, so it seems like they are waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger. Tom Holland and Bryan Cranston together could be the stars aligning just right forUnchartedto finally happen.
