Ruben Fleischer explains Uncharted’s big post-credits scene & talks potential sequel

With Uncharted finally bringing Sony’s treasure-hunting hero out of his video game haunts and into theaters, the adventures of Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) and sidekick Sully (Mark Wahlberg) is doing what treasure hunters do best: bringing in the loot as the biggest box office draw for the film’s Feb. 18 debut weekend.

The game-to-movie crossover spins an origin story for the Nathan Drake whom fans have come to know and love from game developer Naughty Dog's PlayStation franchise. But after the credits roll, there’s an interesting and mysterious post-credits moment; one that director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Venom) teases as a fun way to signal to longtime followers where Nathan and Sully might be headed next.

Of course that’s not to say a sequel is in the works yet. But, as Flesicher recently told Entertainment Weekly, he wanted viewers to get the idea that, at least for the treasure-diving duo themselves, this first adventure “wasn't the end.”

“It was really important for me that audiences know that the movie prior to the credits wasn't the end of the Nate and Sully story, and that they would carry on their friendship — their partnership — on further adventures,” Fleischer explained. “It was really exciting for me to get to shoot that scene and let audiences know that this, hopefully, wouldn't be the last of them hearing of these two and that they'd be off in search of other treasures someplace else down the road.”

The post-credits scene in question puts a mysterious “Nazi map” in Nathan’s hands, a trade he’s willing to make in exchange for his cherished Francis Drake ring. But in a likely nod to Uncharted’s video game source material, he’s betrayed by an agent of someone named “Roman.” As fans of the game series know, that sounds like a big callout to Gabriel Roman, the main baddie in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune — the very first game in the series, and the starting point for Uncharted video game lore.

Sony hasn’t said whether Uncharted is getting a sequel, though it’s a safe bet that decision will be based on how much loot the first film can collect at the box office. Fleischer, though, is stoked at the possibilities of where Holland and Wahlberg could take these characters next.

“I’d be thrilled at the opportunity to make a sequel and you can’t help working on this film for two years…I can’t help but imagine different adventures these guys might find themselves on and I’d be thrilled to figure out a way to bring those to life,” Flesicher recently told Collider. “But ultimately the audience will decide if that’s something they’re excited to see.”

As the closing coda to a prequel movie about Nathan Drake’s early days, Uncharted’s post-credits scene seems to point the way forward, showing the guys a little further down the timeline and hinting at how the movie and the games might converge. Plus, Sully is finally glimpsed sporting his signature mustache — a cue that we’re inching that much closer to the moment in their lives where we find them at the start of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

Starring Holland and Wahlberg alongside Antonio Banderas, Tati Gabrielle, and Sophia Ali, Uncharted is playing now in theaters nationwide.