For a movie based on a clandestine, generation-spanning group of assassins, it’s apropos that Justin Kurzel’s Assassin’s Creed film has been kept firmly under wraps – at least, until now. Yahoo! Movies has today unveiled our first bona fide look at Michael Fassbender in the upcoming video game adaptation, where he’ll play the stealthy adventure as Callum Lynch.
If after learning of Fassbender’s character you feel the need to scrub up on your knowledge of Ubisoft’s titanic series, think again; Callum Lynch is an entirely new protagonist created for the sole purpose of Kurzel’s movie, putting to bed any rumors that the big-screen feature would tie in with the video game series in some capacity.
One tenet from the franchise that will carry over into cinema is that of the Knights Templar. Flitting between the present day and 15th century Spain, Fassbender’s protagonist will, in what has become an Assassin’s Creed trope, discover that he is the latest in a long line of deadly killers for hire. Whether Kurzel’s final feature will openly reference the Animus or not remains to be seen, but the gist is that a piece of bleeding-edge tech allows Fassbender’s character to access memory blocks and ultimately relive the experience of his ancestors. In this case, 15th century Spain.
Marion Cotillard, Ariane Labed, and Michael Kenneth Williams will join Fassbender for Assassin’s Creed, which will look to bring an end to the seemingly unyielding video-game-to-movie curse when the blockbuster swan dives into theaters on December 21, 2016.
Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society through unlocked genetic memories that allow him to relive the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. After gaining incredible knowledge and skills he’s poised to take on the oppressive Knights Templar in the present day.