There was a point in time when Mark Wahlberg was being considered for the role of Nathan Drake in Hollywood‘s big-screen adaptation of Uncharted. Thankfully that never panned out and the filmmakers found a far better option for the role in Tom Holland.
But it seems like forces beyond our control are hellbent on having Mark Wahlberg be part of Uncharted in some capacity, no matter how unsuited he is.
According to Variety, Marky Mark is in “final talks” to play Victor “Sully” Sullivan, Nathan Drake’s mentor in Uncharted. There’s only one reaction to this news: yikes.
No disrespect to Marky Mark’s acting ability, but whoever thought to cast him as Sully in Uncharted has clearly never played any of the original games that are informing the movie and they deserve to be immediately fired.
For those who are unaware of why this is such a terrible casting choice, Victor Sullivan is a man in his 60’s who is a grey-haired thief with a love of cigars, charisma that could solve world peace, and a well-oiled silver tongue. In other words, the character is everything Mark Wahlberg isn’t.
Even taking into account how this adaptation will focus on a younger Nathan Drake, Marky Mark certainly isn’t the first actor – or even the 10th actor – who comes to mind to play Victor Sullivan of any age.
Just the thought of Tom Holland and him exchanging banter is throwing up some worrying red flags, but what’s done is done and we have to accept it.
Okay, I’m probably being quite pessimistic here. Mark is a good actor and there’s every chance he could surprise us all with his own spin on Sully. He is an Oscar-nominated actor after all so that’s got to count for something.
Fans are going to be watching this like a hawk, which is probably for the best that Uncharted isn’t coming out for at least a few years. That gives Marky Mark plenty of time to get greyer and to grow a great moustache worthy to play Victor Sullivan.