Uncharted star Tom Holland has discussed the difficulty of finding the right director to bring the beloved video game franchise to life in live-action. While on the hunt for the perfect filmmaker to craft a new franchise for Sony, Holland revealed to TotalFilm that they heard several different takes on the first big-screen Uncharted adventure and the intrepid treasure-hunter Nathan Drake and that it was a struggle to find the right balance, and the correct approach.

“Some of [the directors] came in, and had ideas that we didn’t like, that just didn’t fit the characters, and we had to move on to other people. We took inspiration from everyone. There were very different variations of Drake, and very different variations of Sully. Some people preferred to make the game, some people wanted to make it completely different to the game. It was an interesting process – one that I wouldn’t like to be in again. It’s quite stressful looking for a director.”

After what sounds like a long and rather stressful process, the studio settled on director Ruben Fleischer, believing that he would be best suited to launch Uncharted. Fleischer has an ongoing relationship with Sony, with his previous efforts Venom and Zombieland: Double Tap proving his success and instilling faith in the studio that he is the best choice for what Sony are hoping will be the first in an Uncharted series.

Starring Tom Holland as Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as his mentor Victor "Sully" Sullivan, as well as a supporting cast that includes Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, and Antonio Banderas, Uncharted is an adaptation of the Naughty Dog video game of the same name. The movie will introduce audiences to a young version of the street-smart and scrappy Nathan Drake, showcasing his very first adventure and establishing his relationship with Victor 'Sully' Sullivan. The story finds Nathan Drake and his partner Sully head off on a dangerous pursuit of "the greatest treasure never found,” embarking on a quest that will also find them tracking clues that may lead to Drake’s long-lost brother.

Uncharted Will Appeal to Both Video Game Aficionados & General Audiences

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Sony

What may have won the job for director Ruben Fleischer is his reported approach to Uncharted, with the filmmaker aiming to create an adaptation that will appeal to both the initiated and uninitiated alike. Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann recently provided some insight into how Uncharted is being brought to the silver screen, revealing that the movie will speak to "both hardcore fans of the game and those who are not yet familiar with the franchise."

Druckmann went on to declare that Uncharted will succeed in this approach, and "that both will be equally entertained by this incredibly fun and action-packed film." Following a series of delays, audiences and video game fans will not have to wait too much longer to find out whether or not Ruben Fleischer was indeed the right choice, with Uncharted now due to be theatrically released by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2022, and then in the United States on February 18.