Most fans are understandably wary of film adaptations of their favorite video games. After all, there have only been a few video game movies that have been successful in both being entertaining and faithful to the feel of the game.
It appears that gaming company Ubisoft has a unique approach in getting their films done with some of the most talented actors around. In an interview with Premiere magazine, Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Barronet confirmed they had no problem getting 'Macbeth' star Michael Fassbender to work on the highly anticipated film adaptation of 'Assassin's Creed.'
"[Fassbender] accepted very quickly," Barronet said. "And [he] was the only actor which we thought was obvious. So we started with the actor, which is incongruous."
Jean-Julien Barronet also revealed that Michael Fassbender signed on to 'Assassin's Creed' without reading a script. Instead, Ubisoft offered him creative control.
"He engaged us with nothing," Barronet said. "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 like 'Batman Begins' and 'Blade 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."
Michael Fassbender isn't the only one who signed on to a Ubisoft film project with the promise of creative control. The Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO admitted that 'Mad Max: Fury Road' star Tom Hardy got the same treatment.
"Tom Hardy was also evident on 'Splinter Cell,'" he said. "We had the same discussion and [he] also committed immediately. Tom is a gamer and he loves the world of 'Splinter Cell.' We worked a lot with him on the character."
'Assassin's Creed' is scheduled for release on December 21, 2016 while 'Splinter Cell' is expected to hit theaters in 2017.
