As The Fighter arrives in the UK, David O Russell talks a little more about what may be his next project, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Is Scarlett Johansson set to appear?
Following up the hard-hitting, crowd-pleasing boxing movie The Fighter, which has secured no fewer than seven Oscar nominations, director David O Russell's set to direct the videogame adaptation, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
Marking a distinct change of pace for Russell, Uncharted is, if the games its based on are anything to go by, likely to be a effervescent, family action adventure in the Indiana Jones mould, a far cry from the stylish Gulf War drama, Three Kings, or the philosophical comedy of I ♥ Huckabees.
Since news of Russell's attachment to Uncharted bubbled up last October, we've heard reports that Mark Wahlberg will be settling into the lead role as Nathan Drake, a controversial choice for many, as Nathan Fillion was widely thought to be the perfect actor for the part.
Meanwhile, Robert De Niro has been named as the character's partner in crime, Sully, and Joe Pesci is said to be in line to play the movie's antagonist, Gabriel Roman.
Most recently, Russell spoke to Empire about his progress on the film, and explained that the Uncharted script is currently a work-in-progress. Interestingly, he also said he'd "love" for Wahlberg and De Niro to be in the picture, which suggests to us that their roles in the film are far from certain at this stage.
"I love the idea of growing them into a cinematic family," Russell said. "I think that's a really cool idea, but... I guess you'll have to wait until you see the script."
When asked about who he had in mind for the role of Elena, the video journalist who served as Drake's love interest in the videogames, Russell mentioned Scarlett Johansson as one actress who "might suit" the role, and also appeared to like the suggestion that Amy Adams, who was superb in The Fighter, may be right for the part.
"Oh I would love that too. I love Amy," Russell said. "I also love Scarlett Johansson. There's a lot of great actors I think might suit. Hopefully, we'll see how it works out with everybody who are being scoped to do that role."
Like Wahlberg, De Niro, and Pesci, Johansson's role in the Uncharted movie is far from a certainty at this stage, though we'd be happy to see her or Amy Adams co-star as Drake's resourceful ally.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is tentatively scheduled for a 2013 release.
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