One of my favorite pastimes is now covering just how much David O. Russell is going to f*ck up the UNCHARTED movie, and with every new update things get further and further away from the source material, a game that I’m increasingly unsure if O. Russell has ever even seen or played.
Speaking to IGN, he further elaborated on his vision for the film:
“It’s hard to keep writing in the middle of an Oscar campaign, but I’m almost done with that script, and that’s going to be really fantastic. I think if we take that family dynamic that we have in The Fighter, and put that in terms of a grander stage, with a crime family that metes out justice in the world of art and antiquities. If you’re the head of a museum, or head of state, you’ve got to deal with them, and they’re badass. They’re like the Sopranos in some ways, but they have great taste, and they have a sense of justice. I would love to do that with Mark [Wahlberg], Robert De Niro, and a couple of hot women, it could be very thrilling.”
A crime family that metes out justice? The Sopranos? What the hell is going on here? Nathan Drake didn’t even have a family in any of the games, much less one that “metes out justice.” Oh, but don’t worry fans:
“I don’t think that you can please everybody, but I will tell you this – I won’t make it unless I can make a great movie… I want the gamers to be happy. I have total respect for the game. My kid loves playing it, I love playing it. I just want to create a world that takes it to another level, that’s another amazing world that’s more cinematic.”
Well that answers my titular question, but that makes it even worse. It’s like he took a look at one of the most cinematic games ever made and went “meh, not good enough, let’s change everything.” Apparently that includes casting Mark Wahblerg and creating an antiques-hunting mafia family.