‘The Grey’ screenwriter latest in long list of scribes to tackle ‘Uncharted’ movie

A big-screen adaptation of the Uncharted game franchise has been in the works for almost a decade now, and has yet to make any significant progress — but that hasn’t stopped producers from bringing new people on to try and give it some momentum.

The latest filmmaker attached to the Uncharted movie is The Grey writer and director Joe Carnahan, who will reportedly pen the next draft of the screenplay for Sony Pictures. Carnahan isn’t expected to direct the film, but could do so if the project is delayed (again).

Currently scheduled to hit theaters June 30, 2017, the Uncharted movie is based on the hit series of games that follow treasure hunter Nathan Drake — a descendant of explorer Sir Francis Drake — as he scours the world on quests for historical (and occasionally mythological) artifacts, often competing against hardened criminals and the secret societies who want the treasures for themselves.

To date, the Uncharted franchise includes four major releases and various spin-off projects released for handheld consoles, card games, and other media. The second game in the series, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the highest-rated games of all time for the PlayStation 3, and received multiple “Game of the Year” awards after its release in 2009.

Despite Carnahan’s experience as a director, writer, and producer, Variety (which first announced his involvement with the film) indicates that the filmmaker is currently attached to direct the upcoming sequel Bad Boys 3, which prevents him from taking the director’s chair on Uncharted. However, a shift in the latter project’s schedule could accommodate Carnahan taking over Nathan Drake’s big-screen adventure.

The list of screenwriters that preceded Carnahan on Uncharted is an impressive group that includes two-tme Academy Award winner Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), who penned an earlier version of the script, as well as five-time Academy Award nominee David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), Doctor Strange screenwriters Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, Safe House writer David Guggenheim, and National Treasure writing duo Cormac and Marianne Wibberley.