Joe Carnahan is an unexpected and welcome choice to write a movie based on the popular video game series Uncharted. Carnahan has an abrasive, aggressive tone in his writing that has given his films Narc, Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team, The Grey, and Stretch a welcome and unforgettable edge. While Sony is clearly looking for something that will appeal to a broad audience with what could be a tentpole franchise, the fact that they’re willing to trust Carnahan with the script says that they’re not just trying to make an Indiana Jones clone. If anything, Carnahan is acutely aware of trying to make Uncharted stand on its own.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Uncharted games, they follow adventurer Nathan Drake, a descendant of the privateer Sir Francis Drake [correction: he begins the game series believing he’s Drake’s descendant], who, with the help of his friend Sully, goes in search of lost cities and treasures.

Steve Weintraub recently spoke to Carnahan, and he talked about working with director Shawn Levy to capture a tone that evokes Raiders of the Lost Ark but also has a very anti-Indiana Jones feel with its protagonist’s personality: