‘Uncharted’ Movie Finds New Director In ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ Helmer Dan Trachtenberg
Just a few weeks after Sony’sUnchartedmovie adaptationlost its fourth director, the studio has followed a treasure map to the front door of10 Cloverfield LanedirectorDan Trachtenbergand hired him to take over the long-brewing adaptation of the hit video game.
Varietyreports that Trachtenberg is the latest director to take a crack atUncharted, a popular video game series about a treasure-hunting adventurer Nathan Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake. In the games, he reluctantly teams up with a photojournalist named Elena Fisher and his old pal and mentor Victor Sullivan to discover lost cities, uncover buried treasure, and inevitably save the world. All four games in the series are incredibly cinematic, borrowing liberally from the Indiana Jones playbook but adding a modern spin; they all play like top-tier blockbuster movies, so it’ll be interesting to see if the snake begins to eat its own tail when it gets brought to the big screen.
Smartly, though, the studio isn’t interested in doing a straight adaptation.Tom Holland(Avengers: Infinity War) is on board to play a young version of Nathan Drake, and since the games have only briefly touched on the early parts of the character’s life, that should open up tons of storytelling possibilities and hopefully let the movie avoid direct comparisons to the games.
Trachtenberg got his start by directing a short film adaptation of the popular video gamePortal, and also touched on gaming subject matter by directingPlaytest, an episode ofBlack Mirror. He’s a perfect fit for this movie: he has a deep knowledge of the game franchise and an excellent eye for action and suspense, and the terrific10 Cloverfield Laneproved he’s capable of delivering crowd-pleasing, mainstream material.Joe Carnahan(Smokin' Aces) wrote a draft of the script beforeRafe Judkins(Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) tried his hand, but now rookie scribesMark WalkerandJon Rosenbergare on board to rewrite. They previously collaborated with Trachtenberg onCrime of the Century, a time-travel thriller that hasn’t been produced yet.
David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), Neil Burger (Limitless), Seth Gordon (The King of Kong), and Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) have all been attached to direct this at various points, but none could get it to the starting blocks. But Sony has shooting dates officially locked in, so this is not a drill: theUnchartedmovie is finally happening, and it finally has the perfect director at the helm.
Small beginnings…https://t.co/gTsOB7wxRB
— Dan Trachtenberg (@DannyTRS)July 27, 2025
