David O. Russell Ditches Film Adaptation of Uncharted: Drakes Fortune

Filmmaker David O. Russell, who was set to write and direct the big-screen adaptation of Uncharted: Drakes Fortune has dropped the project with Columbia Pictures.

Russell, best known for The Fighter and Three Kings, removed himself from the director’s chair due to creative differences with Sony.

According to the Hollywood reporter, one reason for the split was that Russell submitted a 200-page draft of the film script to the studio, with a whole load of new characters that are of no reference to the original video game it is based on. With this said, it seems as though Sony wants to maintain being completely dedicated to the source material.

Although no cast was officially confirmed, Russell made it clear that he wished to work with Mark Wahlberg again, after the success of The Fighter earlier this year during awards season. Rumours also spiralled around the web of other Hollywood behemoths Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci being attached to the project. But with Russell’s sudden departure, your guess is as good as ours in who will star in Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, which is set for a 2013 release in cinemas.

Despite this news, it seems that Sony remains very serious about bringing Nathan Drake to the big-screen, and is looking for a new writer to work alongside Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, who worked closely with Russell.

Who will be replacing David O. Russell as director is yet to be confirmed.