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| I'm not "feelin it, feelin it" |
Let me begin this post by admitting I am in utter disappointment in some recent Hollywood casting. Today, it was revealed that Mark "I'm a Star" Wahlberg will in fact be playing the iconic, fast talking, charming video game character Nathan Drake in the upcoming movie adaptation of the Uncharted series. To anyone who hasn't played the game, Uncharted can be best described as an action-adventure game about a fast-lipped treasure hunter named Nathan Drake. His bravado is contagious, yet his charm and compassion is utterly human and lovable. Uncharted takes a page from the original Indiana Jones trilogy, which weaves together impressive dialogue, realistic characters, and fascinating exploration set pieces that make me feel like I'm 10 years old again watching 'Raiders of the Last Ark' at my grandmother's house. Nathan Drake is a future inductee into the video game hall of fame...if such a thing existed. He's one of the most memorable characters to grace our gaming consoles, and thanks to the mindless imbeciles behind the movie version...they've ruined much of the anticipation I've had for this film.
David O. Russell, the man behind such films as "Three Kings," and "I ♥ Huckabees," is taking directorial and writing responsibilities for the Uncharted film. I never really had a problem with Russell signing on until today's boneheaded move. His relationship with Wahlberg is very well publicized. Both are good friends, and for the most part, work on great films together. I enjoyed both Kings and Huckabees, but I was really hoping Russell would think outside of the box on this project.
The first Uncharted game didn't release on the PS3 until 2007, with the second game blasting expectations, and our minds, in 2009. The series has a very humble and devoted following (myself included), so the source material is pretty fresh in everyone's mind. With that said, everyone has their expectations on what kind of person should play the titular hero, and only two plausible names come to mind. With much confidence that the internet trolls would agree with me, the two men who should be in Drake's shoes rather than Wahlberg are Nolan North, and Nathan Fillion. Here's why.
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| Nolan North |
Nolan North isn't very well known to non-gamers. North is the voice behind Nathan Drake, as well as the body...sort of. Uncharted uses full-body motion capture in all of its cut scenes, with North providing the voice, facial expressions, and body movements. North would clearly be the top guy for the job, however regardless of the video game magic he brings, the guy isn't in what you would call tip-top shape. North is responsible for creating such a lovable character in the firts place, so I would give him the benefit of the doubt if the CIA didn't have him pushing too many pencils. As for Nathan Fillion, it's a crime pass on him for what seems like a prophetic role for him. First off, Fillion bears almost a twin-like resemblance to Nathan Drake. Second, Fillion has the perfect personality to compliment Drake. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the folks at Naughty Dog (the creators of Uncharted) wrote the character of Nathan Drake in homage to Fillion. To anyone who's seen Fillion as Captain Mal in either the Firefly series or Serenity, you'll know he has the swagger, charm, and swashbuckling attitude that encompasses Drake. Thirdly, and probably the most important, Fillion wants the role...badly. He launched his own Twitter campaign last month in order to get him signed on for the movie. Fillion has a deep respect for the source material, and won't have to familiarize himself with the games the way Wahlberg will have to. Plus the guy's name IS Nathan. It seems too easy. It really is a shame Russell was so narrow-minded...almost to a Tim Burton resemblance of "hey, lemme just cast Johnny Depp in everything."
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| Why the hell can't David O. Russell see what I see in Fillion? |
I can complain all I want about this casting choice...the fact of the matter is Marky Mark (yes..I will still call him that) WILL play Nathan Drake, and no one can do anything about...unless they give him a bad case of the shits by sneaking a large quantity of Maalox into his alcohol, which may or may not rupture his digestive tract. One can only dream right? Still, the only thing to look forward to at this point is the supporting cast. Rumor has it that Robert De Niro will play Drake's senior-aged crisis partner Victor "Sully" Sullivan, which is a solid pick in my eyes. Still, it doesn't change the fact that the same guy who bombed as a video game character, (Max Payne) and was atrocious in "The Happening," will be playing such a lovable role. And I'm sorry, Wahlberg isn't lovable. All we can hope for at this point is that he doesn't talk to animals mid firefight and tell them to "say hi to your mother for me."
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| I'm Nathan Drake...Say Hi to Your Mother For Me! |
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