Video gameadaptations have always struggled at the box office, a point which can be proven by the dreadful box office performance ofHitman: Agent 47, which has only taken in $22.4 million since opening in late August. There has only been one video game adaptation to earn more than $100 million domestically, 2001’sLara Croft: Tomb Raider($131.1 million), but Ubisoft has high hopes of turning the genre around withAssassin’s Creed, set to hit theaters on June 19, 2025. With production already under way, Ubisoft Motion Pictures president Jean-Julien Baronnet revealed in a new interview with Premiere that starMichael Fassbendersigned on very quickly, while comparing the project to bothBatman BeginsandBlade Runner.
“[Michael Fassbender] accepted very quickly. And he was the only actor which we thought was obvious. So we started with the actor, which is incongruous. Even more incongruous, he engaged us with nothing. There was no script, no studio or anything. We told him we were going to build the project together, we have a huge brand and we want to make a make a film with references to feature films likeBatman BeginsandBlade Runner. That is why we tend to. He was promised that he could work with the writers, we would associate it with all key creative choices.”
Assassin’s Creedrecently started production in Malta, withMichael Fassbenderportraying two distinct roles, Callum Lynch and his 15th Century descendant Aguilar. The story follows Callum, who descends 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. Jean-Julien Baronnet revealed that Ubisoft has a deal withTom Hardy, who will be heavily involved in the development ofSplinter Cell, similar to howMichael Fassbenderhelped developAssassin’s Creed.
“This is obviously attractive for intelligent players likeMichael FassbenderandTom Hardy. It is like a huge studio because it has huge brand, but it is a small structure. And it will remain like that, you do not want to become bigger.Tom Hardywas also evident onSplinter Cell. We had the same discussion and it is also committed immediately. Tom is a gamer and he loves the world ofSplinter Cell. We worked a lot with him on the character.”
Instead of just licensing its games to movie studios, Ubisoft developed their own in-house motion picture company to develop adaptations of their games, taking control over the development process. The company has teamed up with New Regency for bothAssassin’s CreedandSplinter Cell. Jean-Julien Baronnet spoke about their development process, which took four years forAssassin’s Creed.
“Our approach is to remain in control of the development, so to finance it 100%. We choose writers who are not necessarily stars but people who have understood the universe. And as long as the script is not level, it will not launch. It has also worked very closely with New Regency forAssassin’s Creed. We needed them for their expertise. There was a kind of triptych between the actor, the studio and us. It is the combination of the three who built this scenario. With arbitration returning us as we fund. The beauty of being a small structure is that no contingencies that lead us to release films in greenlighter quickly. It leaves time to time to arrive at what it takes. Four years of development for Assassin!”
The Assassin’s Creed supporting cast includesAriane Labed,Michael K. Williams, Carlos Bardem (Escobar: Paradise Lost) and Denis Menochet.Justin Kurzelis directing from an adapted screenplay byScott Frank, Michael Leslie,Bill Collageand Adam Cooper. Are you surprised that Jean-Julien Baronnet compared Assassin’s Creed toBatman BeginsandBlade Runner? Let us know what you think below, and stay tuned for more on Assassin’s Creed.
