Mark Wahlberg set to join Uncharted movie

Mark Wahlberg is in final talks to star alongside Tom Holland in action movie Uncharted.

A film adaptation of the popular video game franchise has been in the works for many years and at one point, The Fighter actor was set to star as treasure hunter Nathan Drake. However, in 2016, he revealed he was no longer attached to the movie and the Spider-Man: Homecoming actor was subsequently announced as the new Nathan Drake in 2017.

According to editors at Variety, Wahlberg wanted to return to the project after learning bosses at Sony Pictures were transforming it into a prequel to the games, which launched on PlayStation in 2007, and he is now in negotiations to play Victor 'Sully' Sullivan, a fellow treasure hunter, fortune seeker and businessman, who serves as a friend, mentor and father figure to Drake, who journeys across the world to uncover various historical mysteries.

Since Holland has been in the lead role, the project has passed through a number of directors. He was originally set to work with Stranger Things' Shawn Levy, but after he dropped out to film Free Guy, 10 Cloverfield Lane's Dan Trachtenberg was drafted in as a replacement in January. However, in September it was revealed he had quit, and Travis Knight, who made his live-action debut in 2018 with Bumblebee, would be the new director.

Rafe Judkins is penning the script with Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Production is set to start next year ahead of an expected December 2020 cinema release.

The British actor has multiple projects set for release in 2020, including sci-fi adventure Chaos Walking, drama thriller The Devil All the Time, and a voice role in Disney's Onward. He is currently filming military drama Cherry, the latest film from his Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo.