For as long as there have been talks of an Uncharted movie, there have been calls for Nathan Fillion to play Nathan Drake. The actor’s sarcastic demeanor and physical similarities make him a natural fit for the character, and a deepfake video shows just how easily he could settle into the role. Of course, the technology is also downright unsettling.
Taking a scene from 2016’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, YouTube user Jarkan used deepfake technology to replace Nathan Drake’s computer-generated face with Fillion’s. The voice remains the same, and it’s extremely difficult to tell the clip has been altered. No other characters were changed for the deepfake.
After the scene is played in full, you can view a side-by-side comparison of the deepfake clip compared to the original game. Nathan Drake certainly has a more expressive mouth, but the resemblance is uncanny.
Fillion himself has expressed interest in playing Nathan Drake in the past, and even starred in a fan film back in 2018. Though only about 15 minutes, it showed his chops for the character and how he could combine sarcasm with blockbuster action.
The official Uncharted film has been encountering production troubles for years, losing six different directors since it was announced in 2008. As of now, the plan is for Tom Holland to star as a younger Nathan Drake with Mark Wahlberg as his mentor Sully. It’s scheduled to release on July 16, 2021.
