Summary

  • Mark Wahlberg's retirement from acting could be an opportunity for Uncharted 2 to recast Sully and find a more suitable, older actor.
  • Wahlberg's controversial casting as Sully harmed the first Uncharted movie's ability to replicate the dynamic of the game.
  • Losing Wahlberg may disappoint Sony as a box office draw, but many gamers who criticized his casting would not be sorry to see him go.

Mark Wahlberg’s recent career announcement could be a great opportunity for Uncharted 2. Wahlberg has led a lengthy and accomplished movie career, first pivoting to acting after achieving fame as the frontman of hip-hop group Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch. Wahlberg has since starred in numerous blockbuster titles and franchises, including Ted, two Transformers movies and 2022's Uncharted. Despite the latter making over $400 million at the box office, chances of an Uncharted sequel happening.

Based on the game series of the same name, Uncharted received a mixed reaction from audiences and critics, not quite defying the video game movie curse. Mark Wahlberg's role as Victor "Sully" Sullivan in Uncharted's live-action movie cast was especially controversial. Indeed, the misguided casting harmed Uncharted’s ability to replicate the game’s winning dynamic, undoubtedly contributing to the adaptation's poor reception.

Mark Wahlberg's Acting Retirement Means Uncharted 2 Could Recast Sully

Mark Wahlberg and Tom Holland on a pirate ship in Uncharted

In a surprise announcement, Mark Wahlberg hinted at retiring from acting, stating, "I don’t think that I’ll be acting that much longer at the pace that I am now." Indeed, Wahlberg has already moved away from the movie industry geographically, relocating his family from LA to Las Vegas. If Mark Wahlberg does indeed step away from acting, Uncharted 2, assuming it eventually happens, will need to find a replacement for Sully to star alongside Tom Holland's Nathan Drake.

Mark Wahlberg is unlikely to disappear from filmmaking altogether. The star could continue to serve as a producer - a capacity he has worked in since 2004 on movies such as Deepwater Horizon and Daddy's Home 2. Moreover, Wahlberg’s retirement is unlikely to come anytime soon, since he already has several projects in the pipeline. Nevertheless, the retirement claim casts doubt on Wahlberg's continued commitment to blockbuster franchises. With Tom Holland as the main star, Uncharted 2's existence does not necessarily hinge on Wahlberg's involvement, but if he does step away from acting, the follow-up may need to find a replacement.

Uncharted 2 Losing Mark Wahlberg Could Actually Help The Movie

Mark Wahlberg as Sully crouching on the ground in Uncharted

While Sony would likely be disappointed to lose a box office draw like Wahlberg from Uncharted 2, the many gamers who criticized his casting wouldn't necessarily be as sorry to see him go. From the outset, securing Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg for the Uncharted cast sparked irritation. Tom Holland was too youthful to play worldly adventurer Nathan Drake, and Mark Wahlberg was equally unsuited to play Drake’s older mentor - the roguish, aging thief Sully.

Mark Wahlberg was originally supposed to play the Uncharted movie's Nathan Drake role himself. However, as the Uncharted movie stalled in development, producers feared that he looked too old, and recast Wahlberg as Sully, necessitating a far younger Nathan Drake to complete the dynamic. The franchise is now stuck with Tom Holland’s Drake, but Wahlberg’s potential acting retirement could be a good thing for Uncharted 2. Filmmakers could seize this opportunity to replace Wahlberg with a more suitable, older, more rugged actor, bringing Uncharted 2 closer in line with the games.