A movie adaptation of the Uncharted video game series has been in development ever since 2008, and it was looking like it wasn't going to ever get made. But it's Tom Holland's part in the movie that saved the film from the pits of development hell, and it's done a complete 180, as it's shaping up to be one of the biggest blockbusters of 2022.
Between the video game voice actors visiting set, the rigorous development process, and blossoming out of a James Bond pitch, the making of the movie is as surreal as they come. But it's a shining example that with a desire to make something, no matter how much of a struggle it is, any movie can escape development hell.
Seven Different Directors Have Been Attached To The Movie
Ever since Sony got the licensing rights to the video game series back in 2008, just one year after the release of the first game, the development has been passed around so many times. Seven directors were attached to Uncharted before Ruben Fleischer finally committed to the project.
Some of those directors attached included Shawn Levy, Dan Trachtenberg, and most interestingly, David O'Russell. O'Russell was the first director officially attached to the project, and he had some fascinating casting ideas. The movie would have reunited Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci before The Irishman, as the director wanted De Niro to play Sully and Pesci to play Drake's uncle.
The Movie Shut Down On Holland's First Day Of Filming
Just as development for the movie had gotten off the ground after a decade of struggling, and was ready to enter production, COVID-19 blocked its path. Holland showed up to set for his very first day of shooting only to be turned away.
The Spider-Man actor said on Justin Bieber's Instagram Live Q&A that "we showed up for our first day of shooting and they shut us down." It's hard to believe that Uncharted will even be released on February 11, as it seemingly has a curse that will forever keep it from ever seeing the light of day.
Holland Thinks He Made Some Bad Acting Choices
Though his casting led to some hilarious Uncharted Twitter reactions, a lot of fans of the video games are genuinely concerned about Holland in the lead role. Some fans think that he isn't old enough and doesn't look the part. And the comments Holland made last year don't exactly put their minds at ease.
As if the doomed production wasn't enough, Holland reckons he made bad acting choices while shooting the movie. The actor essentially said that he made the mistake of trying to look too cool in his scenes, rather than thinking about what is the best thing to do at that moment.
The Plane Stunt Is The Hardest Action Scene Tom Holland Has Ever Done
While a lot of the action scenes are carried out by a stunt double, Holland still takes part in a surprising amount of the sequences. And a behind-the-scenes Uncharted clip that shows how the plane scene was shot shows just how involved the actor really is.
The plane scene, which is heavily featured in the trailer, sees Holland hanging on to cargo as it's falling out of the plane. Holland explains that they worked on that one scene every day for five weeks, and he had to be "100 feet in the air, attached to a box that is spinning." He said that it's by far the toughest action scene he has ever shot in his career.
The Movie Started As A Young James Bond Pitch
After Spider-Man: Far From Home wrapped, Holland pitched a "Young James Bond" to Sony with him in the main role. Hilariously, the actor isn't afraid to admit that he was a little out of his element during the pitch, saying that it was a bad idea and that it didn't make sense.
However, some good did come out of the meeting. Based on what Holland was looking for, Sony offered him the role of Nathan Drake, almost as a compromise. So, funnily enough, it was a James Bond pitch that helped Uncharted barely escape development hell.
Holland Couldn't Stop Playing Uncharted While Making Homecoming
Even though performers in Hollywood seem to be so busy, as whenever they're not on set they're doing press junkets, tons of actors are actually massive gamers. And now, Holland can be added to that list too. Even though it wasn't initially what he pitched and that the role was offered to him as a compromise, he seemed to have still been a fan of the game before he was offered the movie.
Holland couldn't stop playing Uncharted while shooting Spider-Man: Homecoming. While Holland doesn't go into detail about which specific game in the series he was playing, the production of Homecoming would have been around the same time the long-awaited A Thief's End was released.
Holland Worked At A Real Bar To Prepare For The Role
Some actors do very little to prepare for a role, and there are others on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, like Daniel Day-Lewis, where they will method act until they genuinely believe they're the character. Holland fits somewhere in the middle, as he didn't exactly start treasure hunting, but as Drake is a bartender in the movie, the actor worked at a bar to prepare for the role.
Though Drake was never a bartender in the video games, it comes off as a little strange that it's an important enough part of the movie that Holland felt the need to become a bartender himself. Nevertheless, it at least shows the commitment he has to the role.
Holland Only Had A Three-Day Break Between Two Movies
As any member of the cast and crew will always mention, making a movie is such an exhausting process. And for directors, one film can generally take around two to three years to complete from the first day of development to the final day of press.
That's why directors and actors tend to take a break between movies, especially when roles are so physically demanding, but that's not the way Holland works. Holland had a three-day break between wrapping up shooting in Berlin for Uncharted and being on set in Atlanta for No Way Home. What's worse is that the three-day "break" also included traveling to the other side of the world.
Nolan North Visited The Set
Unfortunately, as much as he deserves one and as exciting as it'd be to see, Nolan North, who plays Nathan Drake in the video games, won't have a cameo in the movie. However, according to Polygon, he was on set of the upcoming movie, and there are even photos of him joking around with Holland.
As actors have now resorted to straight-up lying in interviews to hide any possible spoilers, with the most obvious example being Andrew Garfield's attempt to cover up his role in No Way Home, North could very well be doing the same thing. After all, it doesn't make all that much sense for him to be on set and not be on camera.
Mark Wahlberg Inspired Holland To Put On Muscle
While the movie was in pre-production and the actors were getting into shape for the role, it was well-documented on their social media outlets how they were taking their physique very seriously. Holland especially seemed pretty self-conscious while explaining that he wanted to bulk up for the role.
The actor explained that he was afraid of looking "like a child next to Mark," and who wouldn't, as Wahlberg would make anybody look scrawny by comparison. Holland mentions that all he did was eat and train for five months, and it was all thanks to Wahlberg.