‘Uncharted’: Mark Wahlberg Says He’d Make a Sequel on 2 Conditions
Uncharted has dominated at the box office since its release on Feb. 18. Likewise, the video game adaptation has received a wave of positive reception from audiences. The movie’s success leaves many people asking one question: will there be an Uncharted 2? Sony has yet to confirm anything, but star Mark Wahlberg recently weighed in on whether he’s willing to make an Uncharted sequel.
Mark Wahlberg had been attached to the ‘Uncharted’ movie for more than a decade
Wahlberg and Uncharted go way back. The movie had been in development hell since 2008, cycling through multiple directors, writers, and actors. Wahlberg joined the Sony project sometime in 2010 as protagonist Nathan Drake, a seasoned treasure hunter. As Kotaku reported, Wahlberg revealed in 2010 that former Uncharted writer and director David O. Russell planned to cast Robert DeNiro as Nathan’s father and Joe Pesci as his uncle.
As the years went on, Uncharted cycled through several more cast and crew members. The film eventually landed on Ruben Fleischer as director. Meanwhile, Tom Holland stepped into the role of a younger Nathan Drake, as the movie would tell the treasure hunter’s origin story. Wahlberg moved up to the role of Victor “Sully” Sullivan, Nate’s mentor. In the movie, Sully recruits Nate from his bartending job to help him find a $5 billion treasure.
Mark Wahlberg says he’d make an ‘Uncharted’ sequel if the fans really want it
Despite Wahlberg’s long history with Uncharted, he’s approaching the idea of a sequel with caution. In a recent interview with PinkVilla, the veteran actor admitted that he’s “not really in the sequel business.”
“I made a sequel to Transformers because that was part of my deal. And then I made a sequel to Ted,” he said. “The only other movie that I’m contemplating making a sequel to is Spenser Confidential, the Netflix movie that I did. I love that character, and I love that world.”
Still, Wahlberg said he’d be “open” to an Uncharted sequel under a few key circumstances.
“If the fans really love the movie and they want another one, and there is that demand. And [if] we can make it better than the first, then I would,” he explained.
‘Uncharted’ is now a franchise, according to Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman
Many Uncharted fans have already demanded a sequel. The film just finished off its second weekend with $23.2 million at the box office domestically, bringing its domestic total to approximately $83.3 million. Uncharted also has a 90 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
After Uncharted’s successful opening weekend, Sony Pictures CEO Tom Rothman expressed how pleased he was with the reception. According to Deadline, he called Uncharted a “new hit movie franchise.”
“This marks a great victory for every single division of the company, as the film was our first major production entirely shut down by the advent of [COVID-19], yet we persevered to complete a picture the audience loves and marketed and distributed it with strategic verve worldwide, despite the pandemic,” Rothman wrote in a company-wide email.
Rothman’s use of the word “franchise” certainly seems like a good sign for an Uncharted sequel. Hopefully, Uncharted 2 wouldn’t take another decade to complete.
Uncharted is now playing in theaters.
