Giving a tentpole to Russell seems hilariously irresponsible given his track record. And I’m amazed Wahlberg loves the guy so much.
That being said, this has the potential to be the first good game movie because talented people have recognized they shouldn’t give a shit about the source material. The Uncharted games are wannabe movies, so what’s the appeal in them being movies?
Cannot believe that gamers are upset over this — the games aren’t high-art in the slightest or anything. Even if his performances disappoint much more often than they please, Wahlberg is a good action star. It’s not like casting Sly Stallone in a Shadow of the Colossus movie.
Sorry, but I don’t think the filmmakers are fundamentally misunderstanding that the game’s seriousness is parodic here, as was the case with Max Payne. You cannot take Uncharted at face value and come away with something unceasingly dramatic.
Admirable use of cinema buff pretension, but that doesn’t change the fact that their first announced move in the adaptation of the Indiana Jones-style lone wolf adventure hero franchise is adding in DeNiro and Pesci as previously unseen aged relatives is not exactly a sign that they “get” what Uncharted is. In fact, it’s almost exactly the opposite. Wahlberg is a terrible choice and stunt casting old men as characters who are not Sully is asinine.
Brian is right, this doesn’t work if Nathan Fillion doesn’t play Drake. I cannot imagine anyone else playing him in a big screen action film if you want the sense of charm and sarcasm that the character should be exuding.
Not sure why Uncharted is being made into a movie. There’s nothing particularly original or compelling about its basic concept, and the execution of the story and script was only notable by console action game standards.
The Uncharted games are wannabe movies, so what’s the appeal in them being movies?
Cannot believe that gamers are upset over this — the games aren’t high-art in the slightest or anything. Even if his performances disappoint much more often than they please, Wahlberg is a good action star.
I mean, I’d rather have Ryan Gosling or Rhys Ifans, but Mark’s still a pretty good choice and most of his best performances have been with Russell.
The Other Guys, The Italian Job, Three Kings, and Date Night
You are assuming that Russell gives a shit about the game, which he probably does not.
This is a dumb video game series that isn’t much more than a wannabe Indiana Jones.
Also, Nathan Fillion was never going to get this role and rightfully so; he would rise above his cult niche if he were truly a great performer.
Are you just picking random actors out of a hat? Both of those guys are good actors, but they’re not Nathan Drake. I’m not sure what’s so hard to understand here. Nathan Drake embodies a specific type of hero, and Mark Walhberg has been demonstrated to not be able to play that hero effectively.
Exhibit A:
The Other Guys, The Italian Job, Three Kings, and Date Night
None of the characters he played was a wise-cracking, often selfish, yet somehow with a heart of gold character that Nathan Drake embodies. Most of those were preening, self-absorbed, emotionally crippled blank slates.
Nathan Drake is a male Lara Croft, who is a female Indiana Jones. I’d suggest getting Harrison Ford for the role, but we all know he’s uncapable of playing a believable Indiana Jones.