It seems like with each passing trailer released for the upcoming Uncharted film, fans get more and more divided. On one hand, it looks like it's taking a lot of cues from the games while capturing a lot of the series' tone and humor. On the other hand, some fans think that it's taking too many liberties with its story and simply looks like an Indiana Jones knock-off featuring a little bit of PlayStation cosplay. Either way, the Uncharted movie is the first of PlayStation's adventure into film, so it's going to do a lot of the groundwork for what's to come out of the studio in future movies.
Currently, the only other announced PlayStation Studios film is the adaptation of Ghost of Tsushima directed by Chad Stahelski, most known for his work on the John Wick series. While Stahelski could likely do a fine enough job with adapting the source material, it seems like Uncharted might help pave the way for the film, depending on its reception.
The Influence of Uncharted on PlayStation Studios Movies
Although some recent films have looked to change it, the general consensus about video game movies is that they're almost always poor adaptations, given the inherent differences between the two mediums. It seems like the past several years have seen an uptick in film adaptations of games, but there haven't been many that have been able to properly capture the magic of gaming onscreen. If any major studio were to open a film studio, however, it makes sense that it would be PlayStation Studios. Especially when considering how much inspiration PlayStation's linear games take from film, it makes a lot of sense.
Of course Uncharted would be PlayStation's first official feature film, given how cinematic of an experience all games in the series are. If anything, it's the perfect modern franchise to adapt because of how much the franchise itself has been influenced by film. That means that it's a safe bet for PlayStation to lead its filmmaking endeavors with Uncharted and see what the reception is like from there. Following its release, there will likely be plenty of critiques thrown PlayStation's way about how it could make better films moving forward. That's when Ghost of Tsushima will really be able to make or break itself in the film world.
Stahelski should pay a lot of attention to Uncharted's reception to help guide the Ghost of Tsushima film by avoiding some of Uncharted's inevitable potential missteps and following directly behind where the film succeeds. There isn't much currently known about the Ghost of Tsushima film and where it is in production, but Uncharted's reception could likely alter Ghost of Tsushima's script. If fans appreciate the deviations that Uncharted takes from the games' narratives, then Ghost of Tsushima might follow suit. However, if those changes aren't welcomed with open arms, then the movie might follow the plot of the game a little more closely.
Ghost of Tsushima is a great choice for PlayStation's second film outing given how, like Uncharted, the game is heavily influenced by film. This means that it can be the second test to see what works in film adaptations of games for whatever's to come in the studio's future. There could be an argument made that The Last of Us HBO show is also helping pave the way for future PlayStation Studios films. That being said, given the inherent differences between TV and film, it seems like Uncharted is going to be more emblematic of the future of PlayStation's live-action ventures moving forward.
Uncharted is set to premiere on February 18, 2022.
