I think it would be fair to say that David O’Russell has a bit of a reputation for being difficult, and one of the reasons he makes so few films is because he’s not only known for being prickly on set, but he also has a tendency to come and go from projects with an alarming rapidity, before they actually get in front of the camera.
A few months ago it was reported that he was in talks to take on the film adaptation of the hit computer game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. However that seemed to have come to nothing, with negotiations breaking down in August. However with O’Russell ditching Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and only having the far smaller Old St. Louis lined up, it appears he’s interested in Uncharted again.
The LA Times reports that O’Russell is now in final negotiations to take the directing gig, and the studio has confirmed he’s onboard and will now write a new draft of the script. To be honest though, it wouldn’t be shocking if O’Russell exited this at some point, especially as he’s known for being very creatively demanding, and with Uncharted’s franchise potential, Sony is unlikely to take the hands off approach O’Russell normally demands.
The Uncharted videogame follows a descendent of Sir Francis Drake, Nate Drake, a treasure hunter who thinks he has learned the whereabouts of El Dorado, the fabled golden city. As well as having to battle competing treasure seekers, he also has to do battle with mutated descendants of Spaniards and Nazis, who want to stop Nate getting to his goal.