Assassin’s Creed Sequel In The Works

The coming months will see Hollywood trying to turn the tide of video game to movie adaptions, with the likes of Ratchet & Clank and Warcraft promising to show that not all big screen versions of your favourite pixelated have to be unforgivable cinematic drek. And it looks like game publisher Ubisoft and New Regency are very confident that 2016 will prove to be a turning point for the genre, judging by the fact that they’ve greenlit Assassin’s Creed 2, a sequel to a movie that won’t be out till December. Star Michael Fassbender will be back for another round of time hopping and secret societies fighting for the future of the planet, presumably putting on his producer again swell. More up in the air is director Justin Kurzel, but seeing as filming only wrapped last month, perhaps he’s waiting till the final product is locked before making his decision.

Announcing a sequel before the first movie has been released is nothing new, but it’s obvious both companies are putting a lot of faith in this project, especially when a cast including Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, and Brendan Gleeson is of a considerably higher caliber than most other video game adaptions. The movie also comes in a year when Ubisoft will not be releasing an Assassin’s Creed game, the first time since 2009, with the series’ popularity waning as of late. It’s not a huge leap of logic to think that a movie series could only bolster the games’ popularity in the coming years.

Assassin’s Creed is set for release December 21st.