Nathan Fillion is currently enjoying success with the crime series The Rookie. In the cinema, however, he was denied the major leading role in a successful franchise. For some fans he was the one for years Ideal cast for the film adaptation of the video game blockbuster Uncharted. Why didn’t anything come of it?
Nathan Fillion really worked hard for Uncharted
In fact, the actor himself had hoped to play the role of Nathan Drake in Uncharted. Fillion’s dream came true, at least to some extent, when he was born in 2018 15 minute fan film from filmmaker Allan Ungar took on the role of Nathan Drake.
As the website Cinemablend explained, the actor even launched a Twitter campaign in 2009, when there was first talk of a film adaptation of the video game series, to express his interest in the role.
Uncharted’s absurdly long development put fans on edge
But things were to turn out differently. Because from an initial idea in the early 2010s to its final creation, it would take a full ten years until Uncharted was produced. Among others, David O. Russell, Neil Burger, Seth Gordon, Dan Trachtenberg and Travis Knight were in talks to direct.
Ultimately, Uncharted was directed by Ruben Fleischer, who is known for films like Venom and the Zombieland series. Tom Holland finally got the role of Nathan Drake in 2019.
However, Nathan Fillion took this development in stride, as he revealed in an interview with Gaming Bible (via CBR) in 2021:
My only regret is that we had to wait so long for itthat someone is doing something so we can see some of Uncharted. Time and competition are likely the reasons for Fillion’s Uncharted disappointment
So the obvious reason why Fillion didn’t get the role might be the film’s incredibly long development phase. Another reason may have been competition. As of 2010, Mark Wahlberg, who was more established as a movie star than Fillion, was linked to the role. But Wahlberg was also hit by the time factor. He eventually appeared in front of the camera as Tom Holland’s film mentor Sully.
Fellow actor Nathan Fillion expressed his enthusiasm for the film:
I’m really excited to see what they’ll make of it. I love movies and these guys have never let us down; Tom Holland, come on, Mark Wahlberg. We’re going to have a great time.
Nathan Fillion may not have made it to the big screen in Uncharted, but he can still look forward to a varied film career. And hits like Castle and The Rookie should dampen the Uncharted disappointment.