The Uncharted has long been in development, with Trachtenberg joining in January after the exit of filmmaker Shawn Levy. Holland has been attached since 2017. The screenplay adapting the Naughty Dog video game comes from Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Rafe Judkins.

In May, Sony Interactive Entertainment launched PlayStation Productions, a studio dedicated to adapting the company's extensive video game catalogue for film and television. Uncharted will be the first film made in partnership between Sony Pictures and Playstation Productions, which has boarded the project to produce alongside Chuck Roven, Avi Arad, Alex Gartner and Ari Arad. The level of PlayStation Productions' involvement in the film was previously unknown.

The Uncharted video game series centers on adventurer and treasure hunter Nathan Drake. The last numbered entry in the series, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, broke sales records when it launched in 2016 on the PlayStation 4, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide.

The Uncharted news comes days after a shakeup in another one of Holland's franchises, with Spider-Man no longer allowed to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after a breakup between Sony and Marvel Studios.