Michael Fassbender, one of the most popular actors working in the film industry today, is to star in, and co-produce, a live action big-screen adaptation of Ubisoft’s mega hit video game franchise Assassin’s Creed.
Fassbender has risen rapidly into the collective conciousness and favour of movie-goers everywhere since his gripping portrayal of republican activist Bobby Sands in Hunger. Since then he has starred in a string of critical and commericial hits including Fish Tank, Inglourious Basterds, X-Men: First Class, Shame and Prometheus. Despite being an international hit with movie fans, he has also maintained a strong working relationship with his friend Conor McCaughan, with whom he made the short Pitch Black Heist last year. Assassins Creed is undoubtedly the duo’s biggest project to date, however.
For those unfamiliar with the video game, it revolves around a barman who learns his ancestors were trained assassins after he is kidnapped by a secret organisation with ties to the Knights Templar, and sent back in time, travelling through history, to relive his family's lives through the magic of cutting-edge DNA technology.
"Michael Fassbender was our first choice" Jean-Julien Baronnet, CEO of the specially-founded Ubisoft Motion Pictures, tells Variety. "He's an extremely smart, talented, versatile and committed actor."
With no release date announced as yet, we’ll have to wait and see whether the Assassins Creed franchise could take off with audiences like Resident Evil did. Because of other offerings, however, such as Hitman, or Max Payne, I’m going sceptical of every video game adaptation, but with Fassbender onboard, it could be a hit.
Source: Variety
