In the realm of big-screen video game adaptations,Unchartedshould be a piece of cake. The fantastic shoot-em-up/climb-it-up/solve-it-up game series, which has been around for more than a decade, is basically just a serialized action-adventure movie that requires the occasional input from a gamer behind the controls.Uncharted’s cut scenes, chase sequences, and establishing shots are 100% cinematic, and the franchise’s characters are composed of fan-favorites rivaling live-action actors and their roles themselves. In other words, the only real difference between anUnchartedvideo game project and a feature film adaptation is the size of the screen.
And yet, today, the long-gestating movie has suffered another setback of sorts.THRreports thatShawn Levy, architect of theUnchartedadaptation who was set to direct the pic once upon a time, will now be directingFree Guy, a video-game focused action-comedy that just got the go-ahead from 20th Century Fox.Thatpicture will starRyan Reynolds, as wereported back in October, alongside newcomers to the projectJodie Comer(Killing Eve),Lil Rel Howery(Get Out), andJoe Keery(Stranger Things). The pic is now scheduled to begin shooting this coming April, meaning thatUnchartedlikely remains grounded for the moment.
Though the THR write-up says Levy “steps away fromUncharted”, the Oscar-nominated producer is quite capable of juggling multiple projects at a time. So while Levy preps to shootFree Guy, it’s with the confidence and patience in knowing thatUnchartedwill work itself out eventually.Joe Carnahanwrote the script andTom Hollandis still set to star for the Sony pic, which is in search of a new helmer at the moment.
As forFree Guy, which was written byMatt Lieberman, the story follows an NPC (non-player character, ironically played by Reynolds) who realizes he’s living in a video game. With an avatar’s help, he tries to prevent the makers of the game from shutting down his world. Comer is onboard as a real-world programmer, and her avatar Molotov Girl, who actually created the game before it was stolen from her. Howery will play another NPC pal to Reynolds' character, though he’s not buying into his friend’s claims. And Keery stars as another programmer with mysterious ambitions.
Levy and Reynolds produce alongsideGreg BerlantiandSarah Schechter, withAdam Kolbrenner;George Deweyis executive producing.
