‘Uncharted’: 10 Easter Eggs and References You Might’ve Missed in the Movie
The new Uncharted movie, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, tells the standalone origin story of treasure hunter Nathan Drake. Although the adaptation strays from its video game source material in terms of plot, it does contain plenty of callbacks to the original Uncharted series. Here are some of the Easter eggs, references, and cameos found in the Uncharted movie — did you catch them all?
[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for the Uncharted movie.]
The Naughty Dog sticker
There would be no Uncharted movie if it weren’t for Naughty Dog, the studio that developed the hit video game franchise. So, Sony honors the company with a quick nod via Nathan Drake’s (Tom Holland) suitcase. When Nate looks through his suitcase to find postcards from his brother, you’ll see a sticker containing the Naughty Dog logo on the case’s lining.
Nathan Drake’s catchphrase
Nathan isn’t one for cheesy catchphrases, but there is a phrase that he utters quite often in the video games: “Oh, crap.” As skilled as he might be in escaping danger, the treasure hunter often finds himself in sticky and frustrating situations. The Uncharted movie perfectly captures that part of Nate’s adventures by having Holland quietly say, “Oh, crap,” when a car is about to push him out of a cargo plane.
The auction scheme
Fans of the entire Uncharted series might notice that the auction scene in the movie is taken directly from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End — with some modifications, of course. In the game, Nathan, San Drake, and Victor “Sully” Sullivan invade an auction to steal an ancient cross. Nate’s job is to shut off the lights so Sully can swipe the cross, but things go wrong, and Sully has to outbid Rafe Adler for the relic.
That’s pretty much how things happen in the Uncharted movie, too. However, instead of Rafe Adler, Mark Wahlberg’s Sully must outbid Antonio Banderas’ Santiago Moncada. Unlike the game, Sam is not involved in the heist.
Sam Drake, alive and in prison
And speaking of Sam Drake, he’s an Easter egg in the Uncharted movie, too. Just like in Uncharted 4, the movie shows Sam (Rudy Pankow) running away from his orphanage and losing direct contact with Nathan. Nate believes that his brother is dead, but a post-credits scene shows that’s not the case. The scene shows Sam alive and in prison somewhere, attempting to contact Nathan.
Speaking to CinemaBlend, Uncharted movie director Ruben Fleischer revealed that he wants the audience to leave knowing Sam is alive.
“I thought it would be really odd if Nate leaves the movie thinking his brother’s dead, and then all of a sudden, he finds out, oh, he is alive,” Fleischer said. “And I didn’t want that kind of reality for our movie series. So, I thought it was important to make sure the audience knows that he’s out there somewhere.”
Nathan Drake’s signature look
It takes some time for Holland’s Nathan to mold into the character fans know and love from the video games. About one-third of the way into the movie, Holland finally dons one of Nate’s classic outfits: a tan-colored Henley shirt (which becomes dirt-covered, bloody, and ripped by the end of the movie), cargo pants, and a leather gun belt on his shoulders.
The look is complete with Nate’s ring, another symbol of the video games. He claims to have inherited the ring from Sir Francis Drake and often recites the ring’s engraving: “Sic Parvis Magna,” which means “Greatness from Small Beginnings.”
Chloe Frazer’s red outfit
The Uncharted movie introduces Nathan Drake to one of his love interests and allies (well, sometimes) — Chloe Frazer. Fans of the video games first meet Chloe in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and she later stars in the Uncharted 4 DLC, The Lost Legacy. Her character is often represented using her red T-shirt and jeans outfit from Uncharted 2.
Although Sophia Ali’s Chloe doesn’t wear that exact outfit in the movie, she does sport a lot of red, starting with a red dress in Barcelona.
Gabriel Roman
Another post-credits scene gives a callback to an Uncharted villain. Nathan meets with a man named Gage (Pilou Asbaek), a character created for the movie. However, Gage mentions that he works for someone named Roman, which is a reference to the first game’s evil treasure hunter Gabriel Roman.
Victor Sullivan’s cringeworthy dad joke
If anyone can deliver a dad joke, it’s Victor Sullivan. In the movie, Nathan and Chloe find themselves trapped underground until Sully, above ground, turns a key that opens a tunnel that resembles a well. He looks down at his fellow treasure hunters and says, “Well, well, well.” Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception sees Sully utter that very same joke.
Nolan North on the beach
Many Uncharted fans might find that the man on the beach who greets Nate and Chloe sounds awfully familiar. That’s because he’s Nolan North, the voice actor behind Nathan Drake in the video games. His cameo is brief as he comments on Chloe’s and Nate’s appearances, but that’s all North wanted to do.
“I told them, ‘I don’t need to be in the movie just to be in the movie,'” North recently told Variety. “I don’t like to be taken out of a movie. When I’m watching one, I’m focused in. From what we did, it’s just enough of a nod that everyone goes, ‘Ah, that’s the guy!’ And then we’re right back into the film. I was adamant with them. I didn’t want it to be self-indulgent.”
The Nazi map
That post-credits scene with Gage holds another Uncharted Easter egg: the Nazi map. Nate meets with Gage to acquire an old Nazi map, although it’s unclear exactly why he needs it. However, in the first Uncharted game, Nate learns that a Nazi ship stumbled on El Dorado during World War II. Perhaps a potential Uncharted movie sequel will follow Nate’s adventure to finding El Dorado.
Uncharted is now playing in theaters.
