In the movie adaptation of the "Uncharted" game that's screening in my head right now, Nathan Fillion is the star.
In the movie adaptation of the "Uncharted" game that will be screening in real theaters one day, Nathan Fillion will not be the star. Mark Wahlberg will.
Fillion — a TV actor loved by geeks, nerds and gamers everywhere — says that he is not being cast as Nathan Drake, the swashbuckling hero from the hit PlayStation 3 video game ... and that's OK.
And that means you and me and everyone else who thinks he should be the star of the forthcoming "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" film from director David O. Russell, need to — at long last — accept this fact. More importantly, we should accept it gracefully. Just as Fillion himself has done.
"Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" got its start in 2007 as an action-adventure game that follows the story of the treasure-hunting Drake. And gamers were thrilled when news spread that Fillion might be in the running for the lead role of the film adaptation of the game. Fillion has earned legions of fans with his roles in the cult favorite space cowboy TV show "Firefly" and the TV show "Castle," and has lent his voice to games like "Halo 3" and "Halo: Reach."
But our "Uncharted" dreams were not to be.
Fillion talked to the folks at Nerdist.com about being passed over for the movie role (among other things) during their newly posted podcast. Though he said he "would have loved" to play Drake (a role many of us think he was born to play) he praised Wahlberg and defended Russell's right to make the movie the way he saw fit.
"Mark Wahlberg, I think that's a talented guy," said Fillion. "I think he does great work, that guy, and he's a huge international star, which I am not. I am not. I will be.
"So sure I would have loved it, but I can't fault anybody for any of the choices they make," he said. "You're gonna make a movie, make it the way you're gonna make it and have a great time."
Now, just in case you find it difficult to be as gracious about this as Fillion has been ... and before the Wahlberg/Russell bashing begins, let's remember this is the duo that did a stunning job with "The Fighter" (which just so happened to win two Academy Awards last weekend). Wahlberg has also done solid turns in "Boogie Nights" and "The Departed" and he's an executive producer behind the awesome TV show "Boardwalk Empire."
Yes, many fans of the game have been concerned about reports that the film's emerging story line doesn't sound much like the "Uncharted" they know and love. And it is hard to imagine how characters played by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci might fit in there, as Russell has said he's trying to do.
But let's just agree that Wahlberg and Russell have participated in some really outstanding projects and might possibly do this thing justice. Maybe.
But if we can't agree on that, then let's move on to this additional piece of news: It looks like Eva Mendes and Scarlett Johansson are being considered for parts in the film. Or so Wahlberg told MTV news from the red carpet at the Oscars Sunday. Mendes starred in "The Other Guys" and "We Own the Night" with Wahlberg. Johansson starred in "The Prestige" and "Lost in Translation," among other things.
Meanwhile, Russell told MTV that the movie will likely be rated PG-13, but he assured everyone, "There's gonna be romance and sex, otherwise I'm not interested, I promise," Russell said. "I'll show as much skin and as much language as I can."
So ... there's that to look forward to.
(Thanks to Kotaku for the heads up.)
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Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things right here on Twitter
