If there was ever a video game title that could be engineered into a blockbuster Hollywood franchise, it’s Assassin’s Creed. Pardon the pun, but high-octane action and historical intrigue is very much ingrained in the series’ DNA and come December, Ubisoft Motion Pictures and New Regency will be hoping that AC‘s overly successful legacy translates onto the big screen with relative ease.
At the helm of the adaptation is Justin Kurzel, the director that served up perhaps one of the best Shakespearean films in recent memory in last year’s Macbeth. It was here that the Aussie filmmaker struck up a working partnership with both Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender, and Assassin’s Creed will see the latter embody the dual role of Callum Lynch and his long-lost Spanish ancestor, Aguilar.
Indeed, Fassbender and Cotillard are just two of the stars to feature on the film’s all-new international poster, which essentially blurs the line between past and present. Tapping into a revolutionary piece of tech known as the Animus, Fassbender’s lead – Callum, not Aguilar – is essentially able to relive the memories of his assassin ancestors. Dawn of Justice‘s Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Michael K. Williams, Ariane Labed, Matias Varela and Denis Ménochet complete the star-studded ensemble.
Can it succeed where Warcraft and Angry Birds: The Movie stumbled? Assassin’s Creed will leap into theaters on December 21, before making its way across the pond in time for a UK release on January 1, 2017.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
