‘Uncharted,’ directed by Ruben Fleischer (‘Zombieland,’ is an action-adventure treasure-hunting film. It features Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), a teenage fortune hunter who learns that his brother Sam has gone missing while searching for the wealth of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew. Accompanied by fellow fortune hunters Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) and Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali), Nathan embarks on a grand adventure that takes him from the United States to Spain to the Philippines in search of the Magellan expedition’s booty, all the while battling the forces of Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), the scion of the family that funded the Magellan expedition, and mercenary Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle).
The mythology of ‘Uncharted,’ like that of other treasure hunting films, is based on historical events. It’s one of the factors that makes films like these so enticing to audiences. If the film’s strong link with historical individuals and past events has you wondering if it’s based on a true narrative, here’s everything you need to know.
Is Uncharted Based on a True Story?
‘Uncharted,’ however, is not based on a genuine storey. It is a film version of the same-named video game series, which was created by Naughty Dog and released by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation systems. Rafe Lee Judkins, Jon Hanley Rosenberg, and Mark D. Walker originally wrote a tale based on the game, which Judkins, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway subsequently converted into a script.
Amy Hennig invented the game series at the beginning. While creating Nathan, the Naughty Dog team drew inspiration from a variety of sources. He is said to have inherited his physical appearance and appeal from daredevil and actor Johnny Knoxville, as well as his grit and magnetism from performers such as Bruce Willis and Harrison Ford. The natural magnetism of romance and action-adventure performers like Cary Grant is also present. Above all, they desired that the players feel a connection to the protagonist. So Nathan has a lot of features that make him very relatable.
“When we set out to produce Uncharted, we chose to tackle one of these beloved action-adventure games in the spirit of this whole tradition,” Hennig explained in an interview. “We understood that in order to pull it off, we needed a hero who was entirely relatable, just like any other person.” So when people saw him and asked, “Why do I want to play a person in t-shirt and jeans?” it was a conscious decision on our part to say, “Look, he’s just a guy.” He’s the same as you and me. Perhaps a little unusual in the sense that he has stronger fingertips.”
As previously said, ‘Uncharted’ is based on a solid historical foundation. Nathan and Sam are fictitious descendants of Sir Francis Drake, a real-life 16th-century English explorer. The Magellan expedition also took place, albeit it was supported by Emperor Charles V, not the Moncada family as shown in the film. It began on September 20, 1519, at Sanlcar de Barrameda, Spain, and ended nearly three years later, on September 6, 1522, in the same site. The expedition’s major goal was to find a western sea route to the Spice Islands or the Moluccas because the Portuguese controlled the eastern routes at the time. The mission is well recognised for being the first to make a complete circumnavigation of the Earth. The treasure portion of the storey, on the other hand, appears to be fake.
In a Forbes interview, Fleischer was asked about how films like ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’ influenced him and whether this made him the ideal option to direct ‘Uncharted.’ “I’m not sure how to answer that question, but I think there’s a group of filmmakers our age that were so influenced by the likes of legendary directors like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, Joe Dante, and Amblin films that it’s become cyclical,” the ‘Venom’ director responded.
“We’re now summoning some of those same spirits.” “Those movies from the 1980s, like Raiders and Back to the Future, are the best movies ever created in my opinion,” Fleischer said. Aside from that, the director listed several productions as sources of inspiration, including ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Midnight Run,’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ ‘Uncharted’ is clearly not based on a genuine storey. But it’s understandable if someone believes it is.