Earlier this month, Neil Burger signed on to helm the film adaptation of the popular video game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. In a recent interview with Crave Online, the Limitless director dishes about taking the reins from David O. Russell, translating a video game to film, and dealing with fans’ online casting suggestions.
“We’re beginning from scratch and going back to the videogame,” says Burger, who says he hasn’t looked at any Russell’s plans for the project. He elaborates:
“There’s a lot of cool stuff, actually, from the videogame. It’s really one of the most cinematic videogames, and one that has really developed characters. So, you know, there’s a lot of cool, really intense things that, if they work for the film’s story, I want to use them.”
When asked to compare Uncharted to Indiana Jones, Burger said the game has more in common with The Bourne Identity.
I think Indiana Jones is nostalgic, whereas Uncharted is very much up to the minute, of the moment. It’s very “now” and contemporary and it has this sort of rough and very intense feel that a movie like The Bourne Identity has. The Bourne Identity isn’t your father’s Cold War movie and this is a very different kind of treasure hunt movie. It’s very real and it has kind of an insane, wild feeling that comes out of the character; Nate being this con man and a bit of a hustler, living by his wits,ballsy and capable of anything.
While on the topic of Nathan Drake, Uncharted‘s main character, Burger took the time to address the growing internet campaign for casting Firefly and Castle actor (and Nate lookalike) Nathan Fillion as Drake in the film.
I think he’s a good actor. I think there’s a lot of really good actors who don’t even look like [Nathan Drake] who could play it! Where we are right now is that we’re literally starting from scratch on the screenplay, and I think that once we finish it, then we’ll go to actors and see who’s available and who’s right for the parts. Whenever that happens.
You can be sure we’ll let you know as soon as that happens right here on The Film Stage. For your Uncharted fix, the third entry into the series hits PS3 this fall.
How would you cast Uncharted?