Plenty of gamers have noticed that Nathan Fillion has a striking resemblance to Nathan Drake from “Uncharted,” and some of them even think that Naughty Dog’s treasure hunter was modeled on famous Fillion characters like Malcom Reynolds from “Firefly.” Fillion himself has an easy time picturing himself in Nathan Drake’s shoes.
“It feels like this is a character tailor-made for me to play,” Fillion said in an interview with SlashFilm. “That’s what it feels like – maybe everybody feels that way where they’re playing the game, I don’t know.” Fillion isn’t the only person who feels like he was meant to play the character. When director Allan Ungar wanted to film his own “Uncharted” movie, he pitched the idea to Fillion, and the actor was sold immediately. The two of them started working together, and in 2018 they released a live-action “Uncharted” fan film that you can still watch online today.
The official “Uncharted” movie is one of the best live-action video game movies out there, but fans of the franchise hold a special place in their heart for Fillion and Ungar’s fan film. Their version has around 20 million views on YouTube, and in under 15 minutes, it creates some truly memorable moments and characters. With that movie, Fillion cemented himself as the definitive live-action Nathan Drake for many “Uncharted” fans, and all of them are still waiting to see if there’s any chance for Fillion to come back to the franchise.
What did people think of the Uncharted fan film?
The “Uncharted” fan film starring Nathan Fillion debuted four years before the official movie that saw Tom Holland in the role. Because they had so many years with Fillion as the only live-action version of Nathan Drake, fans of the game are particularly attached to his movie and take on the character. There are a ton of small details in the fan film that gamers are particularly attached to. “The ‘transition’ scene from cutscene to gameplay is fantastic in this,” wrote one fan on Reddit. Another in the same comment thread said, “The love that they put into it was incredible and I really wish they made a full length movie or show with the cast.”
Diehard “Uncharted” game fans aren’t the only people who were impressed by the fan film. Back in 2018, Buzzfeed wrote “This ‘Uncharted’ fan film is so damn good” and heaped praise on the film’s actors. Fillion obviously got the biggest role, but Buzzfeed also pointed out that Stephen Lang gave an incredible performance as Sully.
Reviews of the official “Uncharted” movie also had good things to say about Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg as Nathan and Sully. But there’s no getting around the fact that neither of those actors looks anything like the video game character they’re meant to be portraying. That’s one of the reasons why gamers, even after all this time, treasure Fillion’s “Uncharted” fan film.
Could we ever see Nathan Fillion in Uncharted again?
People who loved watching Nathan Fillion in the “Uncharted” fan film were incredibly disappointed to learn that he wouldn’t be playing Nathan Drake in the official movie. The actor himself took the news in stride. “My only regret is that we had to wait so very, very long for someone to do something so we could actually see some Uncharted stuff,” Fillion said in an interview with GAMINGbible in July 2021. He added that as a fan of both “Uncharted” and Tom Holland, he was excited to see Holland’s take on Nathan Drake.
Fillion has always been open about his love for “Uncharted,” but fans of the series probably shouldn’t hold their breaths waiting to see him again. For the time being, it looks like the version of Nathan Drake we got in the official movie is here to stay. Holland has a busy filming schedule, and “Uncharted 2” is currently on his docket. At this point, probably the most that fans can hope for is a cameo from Fillion in the inevitable sequel. Anyone who really wants to see him as the lead again will have to content themselves with rewatching the “Uncharted” fan film online.