Mark Wahlberg says that the upcoming Uncharted movie reminds him of Indiana Jones. The Uncharted video game series started in 2007 with the release of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on the PlayStation 3. The Uncharted franchise has proven to be one of Sony's most popular adventure series, which has resulted in three main sequels, as well as the spin-off Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. As with most successful video games, Hollywood saw an opportunity to bank in on the popularity of Uncharted.

A movie adaptation of Uncharted was announced in 2009 and has been stuck in development hell ever since. David O. Russell was originally going to helm the movie but dropped out, much like directors Neil Burger, Seth Gordon, Shawn Levy, Dan Trachtenberg, and Travis Knight would later do. Sony seemed to be making progress on Uncharted when Tom Holland was cast as Nathan Drake in 2017, but the film has still gotten delayed multiple times. Aside from Holland, Mark Wahlberg was cast as Sully, who was originally supposed to be playing Nathan Drake when the film was first announced. Now, with production supposedly slated to begin this month, Wahlberg has spoken about the film.

When speaking with Collider about his upcoming Netflix film Spenser Confidential, Wahlberg gave an update about Uncharted. Wahlberg confirmed that Uncharted is an origin story and that he will begin filming in a few weeks. When talking about the script, Wahlberg compared it to an Indiana Jones film. Wahlberg's full comment can be read below:

“I start filming in about two weeks time. It’s exciting because, without giving too much away, it’s more of an origin story. Meeting them, and Nathan becoming Nathan. Sully and him meeting, trying to not only get over on each other, but also starting to partner up and develop that relationship. It’ll be very cool. It’s the first time I’m in a movie that’s a movie. I felt like when I was reading it, I was reading Indiana Jones or Thomas Crown Affair. It’s got these great elements of these heist movies and adventure movies like I’ve never been a part of.”

Just like Uncharted, Indiana Jones 5 has been in development for several years. Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed in 2015 that Disney was making Indiana Jones 5, with Steven Spielberg in the director's chair, and Harrison Ford starring. The film was originally going to be released in 2019, but was delayed several times and went through multiple writers before landing on a 2021 release date. The latest snag Indiana Jones 5 had was the announcement that Spielberg was actually not directing, leaving fans to wonder who would fill the position. While that question hasn't been answered, the film is moving in the right direction with Indiana Jones 5 expected to start filming in a few months.

It's no secret that fans often compare Uncharted to Indiana Jones. The two franchises do share a lot in common, so it makes sense that the script for Uncharted would read like an Indiana Jones film. Uncharted and Indiana Jones 5 are spaced enough apart that they won't be competition for each other come 2021, and Uncharted does have the advantage of being released earlier in the year. That being said, Sony will want to be careful to make sure Uncharted doesn't come off as an Indiana Jones rip-off.

Uncharted (2021)
Release Date: Mar 05, 2021

Indiana Jones 5 (2021)
Release Date: Jul 09, 2021