Sony are clamouring for a new franchise following the disappointment of The Amazing Spider-Man‘s second instalment. After the recent baffling rumour that the studio are planning a spinoff featuring Peter Parker’s quaint Aunt May as a feisty spy, today they’ve stepped up their game. Literally. Their long-awaited video game adaptation, Uncharted, is pushing forward with Zero Dark Thirty scribe Mark Boal onboard to tackle the screenplay.
Boal joins a long list of writers who have previously had a stab at the script. Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, David Guggenheim and Marianne Wibberley all turned in drafts that failed to incite enthusiasm from the studio. Similarly, previously-attached director David O. Russell penned a draft which suffered a similar fate.
Where the continued problem exists in these versions is unknown, but the plague of problems the pic has already endured can’t be a promising sign. In addition to the wealth of writers, a series of high-profile directors – including Russell – have dabbled with the possibility of tackling the pic. Divergent‘s Neil Burger and This Is The End‘s Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg also expressed interest before Seth Gordon signed on to take the reins.
So, with Gordon and Boal both solid, there’s a chance the adventure epic could be on track for its early 2015 start date. Story wise, the film will follow the exploits of “a treasure hunter named Nate Drake, a descendent of explorer Sir Francis Drake, who believes he has learned the whereabouts of the fabled golden South American city El Dorado from a cursed statue. His search for El Dorado becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the fray. Both face creatures, mutated descendants of Spaniards and Nazis, that begin attacking those hoping to learn the treasure’s true secrets.”
The similarity to Indiana Jones is not lost on the studio, who are courting potential leads with that very comparison. Drake would be a killer starring role for an up-and-coming actor. Well, if someone would sign on that is! Guardians Of The Galaxy‘s Chris Pratt and Mark Wahlberg have both already passed on the opportunity, leading us to believe there’s something afoot with Uncharted. Whatever the case may be, we’ll keep you posted on any new developments as they emerge.
