Uncharted 2 needs to get the character of Sully right after the first movie failed him by putting the woefully miscast Mark Wahlberg in the role. Sony has confirmed that Uncharted 2 is in development following the box office success of the first film. But if this franchise is going to succeed, it needs to start being more faithful to the games. It needs engaging treasure hunts, it needs fun, pulpy action set-pieces, and it needs Elena Fisher. It also needs to stick more closely to Nathan Drake’s dynamic with Sully.
In the games, Sully is a mentor and father figure to Nate who watches over him. He has a distinctive personality, a distinctive wardrobe, and a distinctive mustache, and the movie didn’t have any of that (except the mustache, at the very end). The biggest problem was casting Wahlberg. Wahlberg was originally cast as Drake, but the Uncharted movie was in development hell for so long that he aged out of the part and got recast as Sully — but he wasn’t right for Sully.
The Uncharted Movie’s Portrayal Of Sully Dropped The Ball
Mark Wahlberg Just Played Sully As An Older Nathan Drake
Tom Holland’s Drake was a bit too close to Peter Parker, but he did the job. Where the Uncharted movie really dropped the ball was in its portrayal of Sully. In the games, Sully is a silver fox who wears colorful shirts and chain-smokes cigars. While Holland’s Drake wears a lot of the character’s iconic attire from the games, Wahlberg’s Sully doesn’t wear any of his signature shirts — or his mustache — until the Uncharted movie’s post-credits scene. The character just doesn’t seem like Sully.
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Wahlberg ended up just playing Sully as an older Nathan Drake, so the movie had two Nathan Drakes: two suave, wisecracking, hypercompetent action heroes. Sully is supposed to be the guy who hangs back with the plane and keeps an eye out for trouble, but Wahlberg played him as Drake 2.0. Sully isn’t supposed to be Nate’s peer, doing exactly what he does; he’s supposed to be Nate’s mentor, watching out for him. The movie is completely lacking that endearing father-son dynamic from the games.
Uncharted 2 Needs To Capture Nate & Sully’s Father-Son Dynamic
Their Relationship Is One Of The Emotional Cores Of The Games
If Uncharted 2 is going to succeed as a true adaptation of the games, then it needs to capture Nate and Sully’s father-son dynamic. When Nate’s obsession is getting the better of him, Sully needs to call him out on it. When Nate is at a crossroads, he needs to rely on Sully for advice. Wahlberg needs to swallow his pride and play the old-timer. The key to making Uncharted 2 work is getting Nate and Sully’s relationship right — it’s been the heart of the games from the very beginning.
Uncharted 2 is the unconfirmed sequel to the 2022 action film, Uncharted, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.