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Neil Burger Starting From Scratch on Uncharted Movie

Everything David O. Russell was talking about? Gone.

Everything you've heard about the Uncharted movie so far, especially anything that came out of David O. Russell? Forget it. Crave Online spoke to Neil Burger, the newly appointed director for the will-it-happen? adaptation of Uncharted, and said he's starting from square one with his take.

"Mainly we’re beginning from scratch and going back to the videogame," said Burger. "Because there’s a lot of cool stuff, actually, from the videogame, if you know it...It’s really one of the most cinematic video games, and one that has really developed characters. So, you know, there’s a lot of cool, really intense things that, if they work for the film’s story, I want to use them."

Burger acknowledged he's aware of the campaign to have Nathan Fillion take up the role of Nathan Drake, and rather than outright dismiss the possibility, Burger said he'll concern himself with Fillion when the time comes to start casting. Right now, they don't have a script and that'll come first.

It's unclear whether the Uncharted movie will adapt one of the games or go off on its own.
It's unclear whether the Uncharted movie will adapt one of the games or go off on its own.

Most video game adaptations who lose a high-profile director quickly fall into obscurity. I'm still holding out hope Gore Verbinski will return to his R-rated pitch on BioShock someday. With Burger already speaking openly about his plans for Uncharted, even at this early stage in the creative process, maybe there's hope for Uncharted, after all.

At Comic-Con this week, there will be a panel about the Mass Effect movie. I can't say much because I don't know much, but I've been told the Mass Effect movie is more real than many us would assume.

Guess we'll know more soon.

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patrickklepek

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Edited By patrickklepek

Everything you've heard about the Uncharted movie so far, especially anything that came out of David O. Russell? Forget it. Crave Online spoke to Neil Burger, the newly appointed director for the will-it-happen? adaptation of Uncharted, and said he's starting from square one with his take.

"Mainly we’re beginning from scratch and going back to the videogame," said Burger. "Because there’s a lot of cool stuff, actually, from the videogame, if you know it...It’s really one of the most cinematic video games, and one that has really developed characters. So, you know, there’s a lot of cool, really intense things that, if they work for the film’s story, I want to use them."

Burger acknowledged he's aware of the campaign to have Nathan Fillion take up the role of Nathan Drake, and rather than outright dismiss the possibility, Burger said he'll concern himself with Fillion when the time comes to start casting. Right now, they don't have a script and that'll come first.

It's unclear whether the Uncharted movie will adapt one of the games or go off on its own.
It's unclear whether the Uncharted movie will adapt one of the games or go off on its own.

Most video game adaptations who lose a high-profile director quickly fall into obscurity. I'm still holding out hope Gore Verbinski will return to his R-rated pitch on BioShock someday. With Burger already speaking openly about his plans for Uncharted, even at this early stage in the creative process, maybe there's hope for Uncharted, after all.

At Comic-Con this week, there will be a panel about the Mass Effect movie. I can't say much because I don't know much, but I've been told the Mass Effect movie is more real than many us would assume.

Guess we'll know more soon.

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OllyOxenFree

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Edited By OllyOxenFree

Great great great.

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TotalEklypse

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Edited By TotalEklypse

woot 
 
This means no Mark Wahlberg. 
 
double woot.

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mr_faraday

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Edited By mr_faraday

Perhaps this movie will be good. 
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PhatSeeJay

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Edited By PhatSeeJay
Everything David O. Russell was talking about? Gone.

Sold.

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rockinkemosabe

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Edited By rockinkemosabe

The only thing they have to do for the Mass Effect movie to get me on board is to have Wrex in it.

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RE_Player1

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Edited By RE_Player1

I don't want a Uncharted movie. I don't want a Mass Effect movie. To me taking a book or comic book and putting it on the big screen is fine because it gives you something the book doesn't, visuals, sound etc, but video games cover all of that and they are interactive.

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Video_Game_King

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Edited By Video_Game_King

Why am I reading Neil Burger's name exactly like I would read the Good Burger name?

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pakattak

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Edited By pakattak

As much as I like Nathan Fillion... he's still way too old to play a young and dapper Nathan Drake.

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RandomInternetUser

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Awesome.  Everything that was said about this movie before was quite off-putting.

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Edited By KowalskiManDown

Comic-con is shaping up to have some really interesting panels.

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Yummylee

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Edited By Yummylee

Bruce Campbell as Sully.... I don't know why, but I'd really like that casting choice.

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turboman

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Edited By turboman

this is the first thing that sounds good about the Uncharted movie.

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Pie

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Edited By Pie

That quote isn't anywhere near as bad as Asteroids "it's about a big thing in space and thats why were making movie" but reminded me of it

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Chris2KLee

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Edited By Chris2KLee

My vote still goes to SG: Atlantis star Joe Flanigan. His character on SG was basically Drake in space at times.

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sirdesmond

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Edited By sirdesmond

@RE_Player92 said:

I don't want a Uncharted movie. I don't want a Mass Effect movie. To me taking a book or comic book and putting it on the big screen is fine because it gives you something the book doesn't, visuals, sound etc, but video games cover all of that and they are interactive.

I'm pretty much right there with you. Even a lot of book and comic adaptations seem unnecessary to me, but Uncharted is so much a great film-like experience and an amazing video game experience that I don't really feel like I need to see this. If this does actually come out one of these days though, I would much rather they do a unique story rather than simply adapt one of the games, because I don't need to watch a shorter, non-interactive version of a story I already know. That is coming entirely from my own perspective though, obviously there are people who have not and will not play the games that would probably see a movie like this (it would be new for them).

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MisterMouse

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Edited By MisterMouse

this is very comforting...

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Edited By TotalEklypse
@Pie said:
That quote isn't anywhere near as bad as Asteroids "it's about a big thing in space and thats why were making movie" but reminded me of it
Right. I mean didn't they already do Asteroids with Armageddon.. or like Space Cowboys. That idea just hurts my brain.
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vonFlampanker

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Edited By vonFlampanker

I wish this was "Neil Hamburger Starting from Scratch on Uncharted Movie."

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defaultprophet

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Edited By defaultprophet

@Chris2KLee said:

My vote still goes to SG: Atlantis star Joe Flanigan. His character on SG was basically Drake in space at times.

That'd be great!

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Lazyaza

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Edited By Lazyaza

As much as I like the story of both Uncharted games I feel a "retelling" of either would be a waste.  Instead make it a side story or maybe a prequel that does a good job setting up Drake as the character he is in the games.

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siblers

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Edited By siblers

Id kill for a burger right now :(

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Edited By SeanFoster

I'd love it if they just told another story featuring the characters we like so much, and if you want the story of Drake's Fortune or Among Thieves, you go play those games. I'd put in a playful reference to one of the games, but that's it.

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twinkletowez

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Edited By twinkletowez

My two favorite game franchises are getting movies... and I don't know how to feel. Video game movies are notoriously terrible, but when ever I hear about Nathan Fillion doing anything, even if it's just a rumor at this point, I get really excited. Mass Effect will be interesting because it would have to be almost as much CGI as Avatar was, only it would be way cooler, ya know, 'cause it's Mass Effect

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valrog

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Edited By valrog

I wasn't interested before, but I am now.

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Edited By firecracker22

Bruce Campbell for Sully, and Nathan Fillion for Drake. 
 
I'd be pretty damn happy with that casting right there. A modern-day Indiana Jones flick would hit the spot, I think, for a ton of audiences out there. Esepcially the Summer Blockbuster kind.
 
It's good to hear Fillion could get looked at. I don't think he'll get cast, just because in all my years as a fanboy only once have I seen the actual fan favorite get cast for the lead role (Christian Bale in Batman Begins). And Fillion is the fan favorite.

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Edited By JoeyRavn

IMO, they should turn this into a "buddy cop" comedy, or at least think of any suitable context to use "Neil Burger" as the name of an obese-yet-lovable character. It could be hilarious.

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Edited By yogetoutdaway

Man, part of what makes Mass Effect awesome is all the stuff that the codex adds to it. If a person's only exposure to Mass Effect is a movie, how are they supposed to know the history of all the races and how all the tech works? Also, I hope Shepard isn't a character in the movie.

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Edited By the8bitNacho

It couldn't possibly be worse than anything David O. Russel was talking about.

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Edited By ShaneDev
Fillion as much as I like him is too old and fat to play Drake. Spend the money and get Bradley Cooper. If you can't get Bradley Cooper then get someone like him. The Joe Flanigan suggestion is good but the guy is way to unknown despite how perfect he would be for the role.
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Edited By LiquidPrince

Who the fucking fuck wants Nathan Fillion... Fuck... he looks nothing like Nathan Drake... I can't imagine him in that role at all... There are a ton of other actors I'd rather see play Drake.

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BlastProcessing

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Edited By BlastProcessing
@vonFlampanker said:

I wish this was "Neil Hamburger Starting from Scratch on Uncharted Movie."

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Edited By FCKSNAP

@LiquidPrince said:

Who the fucking fuck wants Nathan Fillion... Fuck... he looks nothing like Nathan Drake... I can't imagine him in that role at all... There are a ton of other actors I'd rather see play Drake.

I'd love the entire cast of Always Sunny in Philadelphia. They all play Drake, Sully is CG.

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Chuck_

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Edited By Chuck_

Yeah, I'll take an extra-large Neil Burger with curly fries, heavy ketchup, and a small diet coke please. Thanks.

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Good

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hatking

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Edited By hatking
@yogetoutdaway said:
Man, part of what makes Mass Effect awesome is all the stuff that the codex adds to it. If a person's only exposure to Mass Effect is a movie, how are they supposed to know the history of all the races and how all the tech works? Also, I hope Shepard isn't a character in the movie.
Star Trek and Star Wars movies hold up just fine, and a big part of what makes those universes so interesting is all the weird little details that people can research which are mostly never mentioned in the movies.  I think it's very possible to do a self contained Mass Effect movie that respects the subject material while simultaneously creating something new and interesting for the average moviegoer.   
 
Do I think that's going to happen?  Not a chance.  Instead they'll make a shitty, low-tier summer action flick with some science fiction trimmings.
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Edited By pkhilson

Jamie Foxx as Nathan Drake and Anthony Hopkins as Sully: SOLD!

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CharAznable

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@BlastProcessing said:

@vonFlampanker said:

I wish this was "Neil Hamburger Starting from Scratch on Uncharted Movie."

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cornwalliz

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Edited By cornwalliz

@Abyssfull:

I agree 100%.

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seanvail99

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Edited By seanvail99

Neil Hamburger has nothing to do with this movie.  Right?
Neil Hamburger has nothing to do with this movie.  Right?
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Edited By citizenkane

I know I'm not a Nathan Fillion fanboy like the rest of the Internet, but I still can't see him as Nathan Drake. He just doesn't have the right look to him or the Harrison Ford-esque swagger.

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Edited By wsowen02
@yogetoutdaway said:
Man, part of what makes Mass Effect awesome is all the stuff that the codex adds to it. If a person's only exposure to Mass Effect is a movie, how are they supposed to know the history of all the races and how all the tech works?
 
Easy, rip it out and ignore it 
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Edited By valiantgrizzly
@Abyssfull said:
Bruce Campbell as Sully.... I don't know why, but I'd really like that casting choice.
DUDE.
 
YES.
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Edited By D_Man_Taylor

@digitalsea87: That would be perfect!

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core1065

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Edited By core1065
@Snapstacle said:

@LiquidPrince said:

Who the fucking fuck wants Nathan Fillion... Fuck... he looks nothing like Nathan Drake... I can't imagine him in that role at all... There are a ton of other actors I'd rather see play Drake.

I'd love the entire cast of Always Sunny in Philadelphia. They all play Drake, Sully is CG.


GENIUS!!!!! You should be the casting director!
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Edited By Mr_Skeleton

I will support any person who has a name of a food for a last name.

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Whizbang

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Edited By Whizbang

Can't wait for Ryan Reynolds as Commander Shepard.

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spiralsin

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Edited By spiralsin

Sigh of relief.  The original script sounded so unlike Uncharted, it was bound to alienate fans everywhere. Why does Hollywood have to screw with a good thing?  While I enjoy Mark Wahlberg as an actor, he is NOT Nathan Drake. I also support Nathan Fillion for the role. I recently watched the Firefly series  and Serenity again. I thought the Mal Reynolds character had many similarities to Nathan Drake. Fillion even resembles Drake, in my opinion. He'd be a natural fit as far as I'm concerned.