Uncharted has only just landed in theaters, but that never means it’s too early to start speculating about a sequel. Like any good modern blockbuster, the movie ends with an extra scene that plays after the credits begin rolling, teasing the potential future of the franchise. Director Ruben Fleischer recently expressed interest in coming back for another treasure hunting adventure but made sure to clarify a second installment would be entirely dependent on the financial success of the first film. Luckily for Fleischer, and those hoping for more Uncharted, the movie’s opening weekend is doing just fine. Hopefully, this means the filmmaker will eventually get the chance to capitalize on that intriguing mid-credits stinger.
The scene in question features Tom Holland’s Nathan Drake, now a fully-fledged fortune seeker, doing business with a suspicious-looking individual named Gage, played by Game of Thrones star Pilou Asbæk. Of course, the deal quickly goes south, and Nate has to be bailed out by his new partner-in-crime, Mark Wahlberg’s Victor Sullivan. Although only a few moments longer, the sequence is an absolute delight for fans of the series. Not only does it feature the protagonists in game-accurate outfits, including Sully with a freshly grown mustache, but it’s chock-full of hints and references that may reveal where the next film is headed.
During Nate’s conversation with Gage, it’s mentioned that the eye-patch-wearing criminal works for an employer by the name of “Roman.” That bit of information should have set off alarms for any informed fan, as it refers to the very first threat players ever saw Nate and Sully face. Gabriel Roman, a wealthy British crime lord, and collector of artifacts, served as the main antagonist of the original Uncharted game. In Drake’s Fortune, the villain hires mercenary Atoq Navarro and pirate leader Eddy Raja to oppose the two protagonists in their search for the fabled El Dorado. With a small army of outlaws under his thumb, he nearly succeeds in killing Sully (who owes him a large debt) and proves to be a major thorn in Nate’s side. That is, until he’s betrayed by his accomplice, Navarro, and tricked into opening a cursed statue.
Though fairly similar in look, story, and demeanor to Antonio Banderas‘ Santiago Moncada, the mid-credits scene makes it likely that some version of Roman has been set up to be Nate and Sully’s next major adversary. Adding to this theory is the presence of Gage, who shares some things in common with the aforementioned Eddy Raja. Audience members with a keen eye might have noticed that Gage wields a golden pistol in the movie, the same weapon that Raja used for the duration of Drake’s Fortune. The pirate is also known for having a bit of a dramatic flair, which Gage demonstrates with his white suit and big temper. Perhaps Gage is intended to be a reimagined version of Raja, working in accordance with Roman? He could even be an amalgamation of Eddy and Navarro, condensed into a single character for use in a hypothetical Uncharted 2.
The events of the Uncharted movie drew inspiration from nearly every game in the series but seemed to primarily focus on elements from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. With the inclusion of Roman and the Raja-esque Gage, it’s possible that the next film travels backward in series order and adapts the first game directly. However, a specific comment made during the Nate and Gage exchange could hint at another mishmash storyline, comprised of factors from multiple entries. In Drake’s Fortune, the only thing Roman wants from Nathan is his knowledge of El Dorado. In the movie, he instead seems interested in possessing Drake’s iconic necklace ring, which Gage implies is important to Roman’s goals.
If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because it’s one of the main plot points from Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. In the series’ third game, Nate and Sully go head-to-head with Katherine Marlowe, the ruthless leader of a secret Hermitic cult hellbent on finding the Atlantis of the Sands. Marlowe needed Drake’s ring to unlock a cipher device that would aid in locating the lost city and used all of the vast resources in her power to obtain it from around Nate’s neck. It’s not far-fetched to think Roman could need the ring for a similar purpose in the sequel, either to find El Dorado or take over Marlowe’s role in the story of Uncharted 3. After all, both villains are elderly and British, so it could be another case of amalgamation.
Also of note is the object Nate considers trading his ring for in the mid-credits scene. Gage, and by extension Roman, are the owners of a World War II Nazi map, something Nate is hoping to swindle away from them. In Drake’s Fortune, Nate uses a Nazi map in his quest to find El Dorado, and first encounters Roman and Navarro outside of an old grounded Nazi Uboat in the rainforest.
Ultimately, the mid-credits scene points the film franchise in a fairly specific direction. Unless the next project ignores this tease completely and goes with a wholly original storyline, a la Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, the second Holland-led Uncharted appears to be readying some sort of mix between the first and third games. Let’s not forget that Rudy Pankow’s Sam Drake, probably played by a new actor, will doubtlessly make a return, and Fleischer has stated he’d love to adapt the fourth game’s car chase sequence if he has the chance. So, maybe throw some more of Uncharted 4 in there as well?
Uncharted is now in theaters.
