The Uncharted movie sounds pretty stupid! It's about a globe-trotting family of antiques collectors that dispense treasure-hunting justice. That doesn't sound like Uncharted at all. What does Uncharted game designer Amy Henning think of the movie's concept?
Henning told MTV that the game's developers are "protective" of the Uncharted games, just like the fans. To those who wonder if David O. Russell, who doesn't appear to have played much Uncharted, is the director for the job, Henning says we should be happy that the filmmaker behind Three Kings wants to do the Uncharted flick. Don't be so impressed with Russell, because he's made some stinkers, too.
According to Henning, "I understand that film is a different medium to games, and I think if people are too literal about what they think an adaptation ought to be, they'll probably make a bad film...somebody's got to come in and say, Well, what is it that fundamentally works in this franchise? What's charming about the characters? And then do an adaptation that honors that in spirit without being too literal."
There's being too literal, and then there's doing something that is Uncharted in name only. If David O. Russell wants to make a film about a family of treasure hunters, dishing out justice, that's fine. But it's not Uncharted, so why feign that it is? This sounds like simple branding—Russell's gonna make the film he wants to make, and they're going to slap the name Uncharted on it to goad players into seeing it.
If you're going to make an Uncharted movie, make an Uncharted movie. Otherwise, what's the point? To make money. Oh, right. Forgot!
Naughty Dog's Hennig On 'Uncharted' Movie: Shouldn't Be 'Too Literal' [MTV]