Assassin’s Creed Movie to Star Fassbender

I think we’ve all learned to be wary of crossover movies, but the upcoming Assassin’s Creed films has more potential than some of the other ones. For starters, the movie is going to star Michael Fassbender, who will be a co-producer. You may know Fassbender from his past appearances as Magneto, in X-Men: First Class, or from Inglorious Basterds. The actor has been very busy lately; he’ll be in the upcoming films Twelve Years a Slave and The Counselor, as well as finding time for the new Creed project.

MTV ran a piece titled, “Michael Fassbender in ‘Assassin’s Creed’ – Why This is Cool.” They expressed the wariness of the general public – after all, we just talked about how bad of a crossover Tekken was, and most gaming films follow suit – but remind us that Michael is a talented actor (which  he is!), and that having him aboard the project may make for a better overall film. His dedication may inspire other A-list actors to jump onto the bandwagon, so the film isn’t stuck with less talented names.

We’re also seeing Ubisoft, the game’s creator, having more control over the film. Usually, filmmakers aren’t as connected with the game’s creators, so there are rough patches in characterization along with plotholes. Hopefully, Ubisoft’s involvement means that won’t be the case here. MTV says that Ubisoft will be taking the reins for the better part of the film: “About nine months ago, it seemed as though Sony had already jumped in bed with the new film division of Ubisoft, the developer/publisher behind ‘Assassin's Creed.’ According to Variety, the Sony talks are on the back burner, and Ubisoft Motion Pictures is going it alone (with Fassbender producing). One major problem with game-to-film adaptations is the lack of creative control maintained by the game's developer. If you have to pick between a movie produced by a game's creator (a vested interest in the property) or a major studio (‘Wing Commander’), it seems like a fairly obvious decision.”

In a recent interview with some of the big heads at Ubisoft, the company expressed how much they look forward to Fassbender playing such a huge role in the film. "Michael Fassbender was our first choice,” said Jean-Julien Baronnet, CEO of Paris-based Ubisoft Motion Pictures. "[He] is an extremely smart, talented, versatile and committed actor."

I think fans of the game will be excited to know that the company who created Assassin’s Creed will be retaining much of the creative control, and that such a talented actor will be playing a big role in the filmmaking process. We may see one of the best crossovers in a long time.