Uncharted Live Action Fan Film

Production

In January 2018, a mutual friend connected Allan Ungar with Nathan Fillion after Ungar wanted to discuss a project based on Naughty Dog’s Uncharted games. Filming started on May 7 in Los Angeles and wrapped after five days. The opening was shot in Palmdale, the mansion’s exterior in Santa Clarita, the interior scenes in Beverly Hills, and the finale in Malibu. Fillion got into shape for the part and did most of his own stunts. To keep things secret, the production used the fake name Breaking and Entering—taken from an Uncharted 2 chapter—so most of the crew only realized what they were making when Fillion showed up in costume.

Reception

The Uncharted Live Action Fan Film earned positive reviews from critics, fans, and bloggers, who highlighted Nathan Fillion’s performance and Allan Ungar’s direction. The Verge described it as “film’s only good video game adaptation,” while Kotaku called it “just about everything you’d want from an Uncharted movie,” citing its humor, twists, historical references, and a shift to a video game-style gunfight. Phil Hornshaw of The Wrap noted the short captured the game series’ blockbuster feel, with Fillion as a fitting wise-cracking Drake, Stephen Lang as Sully, and Mircea Monroe as Elena, and a script that balances jokes with a history lesson on Afonso de Albuquerque and Ferdinand Magellan.

BuzzFeed was among outlets pushing for a full-length project. Naughty Dog vice president Neil Druckmann and franchise creator Amy Hennig also voiced their support on social media, alongside other gaming figures.