Summary
- Mark Wahlberg's retirement from acting could provide an opportunity to recast Victor Sullivan in Uncharted 2 for a better portrayal of the character and his relationship with Nathan Drake.
- Robert Downey Jr. could be a potential choice to play Sully in Uncharted 2 due to his great on-screen chemistry with Tom Holland and their previous dynamic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Other potential actors to consider for the role of Sully in Uncharted 2 include Brad Pitt, Nathan Fillion, Pedro Pascal, Russell Crowe, J.K. Simmons, David Harbour, Bryan Cranston, Bruce Campbell, and Jon Hamm, each bringing their own unique qualities to the character.
If Mark Wahlberg does decide to retire from acting after Mark Wahlberg hinted at his retirement from acting, which would leave Uncharted 2 to find the right new actor to play Sully before even thinking about plot considerations.
Aside from Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan is the most important character in the Uncharted series. He's a father figure to Nathan and a reliable friend who will always wade into the action if he's needed. One of the main criticisms of the Uncharted movie was that Nathan Drake's relationship with Sully didn't translate well from the games due to the lack of chemistry between Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. They struggled to capture the tight-knit bond of Nathan and Sully. Wahlberg's retirement could help Uncharted 2 then, as a new actor could blend freewheeling charm with a rough and ready action pedigree for a better Sully portrayal.
10 Robert Downey Jr.
Age: 58
One potentially easy fix to solving the Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg chemistry issues would be for Uncharted 2 to cast Robert Downey Jr. as Sully. Holland and Downey Jr. already have great on-screen rapport thanks to their dynamic as Spider-Man and Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Transplanting their relationship from the MCU could be a shortcut to achieving the kind of playful father-son connection the games have. This would certainly risk Tom Holland's Nathan Drake being overshadowed by a screen presence as large as Robert Downey Jr., but the studio could overlook this conundrum for a bigger box office tally.
Tom Holland & Robert Downey Jr. Movies |
|
---|---|
Movie Title |
Box Office |
Captain America: Civil War (2016) |
$1.153 Billion |
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) |
$880.1 Million |
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) |
$2.052 Billion |
Avengers: Endgame (2019) |
$2.799 Billion |
Dolittle (2020) |
$251.4 Million |
9 Brad Pitt
Age: 59
It's a long shot since he probably wouldn't want to play second fiddle to Tom Holland, but Brad Pitt has all the ingredients for a younger version of Victor Sullivan. Pitt showed off a carefree kind of experience as stunt performer Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood that would suit Sully's gruff demeanor perfectly. His performance in Bullet Train was also a great indication he could fit into the Uncharted franchise, with his ability to blend fast-paced action with a sense of humor. Adding Pitt's star power into the mix could easily unbalance the movie unless Sully takes on a more reduced role more similar to the games.
Brad Pitt's relationship with Sony through Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood and Bullet Train could help him land the role in Uncharted 2
8 Nathan Fillion
Age: 52
Even before his Uncharted fan film, Nathan Fillion was a popular choice to play Nathan Drake in any potential movie adaptation. Not only does he look strikingly similar to the treasure hunter, but his charming snark is perfect for the role. Fillion never got the chance to play Drake, but he could still bring his knowledge of the games to the franchise as Sully. The Uncharted movie was in production limbo for so many years that he aged out of the Nathan Drake role, but casting Nathan Fillion as Sully could be a popular choice for the sequel.
7 Pedro Pascal
Age: 48
HBO's The Last of Us was such a faithful adaptation that it made Uncharted fans envious. The show managed to avoid all the common pitfalls of video game adaptations, and Pedro Pascal's performance as Joel was the icing on the cake. With The Mandalorian, Narcos, and Game of Thrones, Pascal has established a reputation as television's undisputed king of action. He has a disarming charisma that could help audiences warm to the big-screen versions of Nathan and Sully, provided he and Tom Holland can hit it off. Pascal is also a strong enough character actor to portray Sully's transition from an underhanded con artist to a protective friend.

Uncharted 2: Confirmation & Everything We Know
With several video games, there's a wealth of storytelling avenues for a sequel to explore. Here's what we know about Uncharted 2.
6 Russell Crowe
Age: 59
Whether a sequel to 2016's The Nice Guys materializes or not, Russell Crowe deserves another comedic role. The Gladiator actor is best known for action movies, but his unlikely on-screen chemistry with Ryan Gosling proved that he could be the perfect comedic foil for Tom Holland to bounce off of. Crowe has the grizzled outlook of Victor Sullivan down to a tee, but he can also portray the character's warmth and generosity. Wahlberg's cool exterior in Uncharted showed fleeting signs of slipping toward the end of the movie, but the Victor Sullivan of the games had more of a balance between his financial greed and his affection for Nathan.
5 J. K. Simmons
Age: 68
J. K. Simmons might be more in line with Sully as he is in the games, excluding the flashback scenes. One thing that distinguishes Simmons from other actors, however, is his iconic voice. It's no slight on Mark Wahlberg to say that he doesn't possess the booming timbre of Richard McGonagle, who voices Sully in the games, but Simmons is a better fit. An actor's voice may seem like a trivial detail, but it helps delineate the roles between Sully and the much younger Nathan. Simmons also benefits from an incredible range, and he even showed he can bulk up to action hero physique by working out with Dwayne Johnson.
4 David Harbour
Age: 48
David Harbour already proved he could be a great Sully through another video game adaptation, Gran Turismo, ironically also made by Sony. Harbour plays Jack Salter, a mentor to the movie's main character, and it is easy to imagine the actor replicating elements of this role as Victor Sullivan. Meanwhile, his time on Stranger Things as Hopper allowed him to get a knack for playing a leader with a duty to protect his younger allies. Harbour already has Sully's look without having to try too hard, and he has some action movie experience down thanks to Black Widow, making him a good potential fit.
3 Bryan Cranston
Age: 67
Back when plans for the movie were officially announced, Bryan Cranston was among the most popular fan casts for Sully from those who played the Uncharted games. Years later, his case is as strong as ever. Cranston's relationship with Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad is already a crude approximation of the dynamic between Sully and Nathan, with Cranston playing a mentor role. The other side to the character that any potential Victor Sullivan actor will have to nail is his self-confident humor and charm. Fortunately, Cranston already showed that he's a top-drawer comedic talent with his other major TV show Malcolm in the Middle.
2 Bruce Campbell
Age: 65
He doesn't have the star power of Mark Wahlberg or some of the other main contenders, but Bruce Campbell is every inch a Victor Sullivan-type actor. His Evil Dead franchise is mainly concerned with providing scares, but it also showcases Campbell's credentials as an action hero. The Evil Dead movies and TV shows don't take themselves too seriously. They're willing to poke fun at their absurdity, similar to how Sully's deadpan remarks can defuse potentially life-threatening situations in the Uncharted series. Campbell also showed he can rock a Sully-style Hawaiian shirt with considerable swagger as Sam Axe in Burn Notice.
1 Jon Hamm
Age: 52
Following on from his breakout role in Mad Men, Jon Hamm continues to find ways to reinvent himself in a different stage of his career, and ing a major action franchise could be next. Hamm possesses an effortless dapper charm that mirrors Sully's cocky persona, and Uncharted could provide Hamm with a big movie franchise to add to his collection of prestige TV projects. Hamm's reboot of the Fletch movies is an indicator of his ability to hold an audience throughout a freewheeling adventure. If the Uncharted movies want to incorporate the mystery of Drake's journals into the movies, Hamm has plenty of experience playing an affable detective.