Assassin's Creed Flick Targets Theaters for 2013 Release

[MikeWehner]

Assassin's Creed Flick Targets Theaters for 2013 Release

Like any good assassin, Ubisoft's new game-to-movie adaptation seems to have snuck up on us quietly.

With all the talk about videogame movies getting caught up in Hollywood politics and development hell, it's easy to forget that Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed movie is actually approaching release rather quickly. In an interview with GamesIndustry International, Ubisoft Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Geoffroy Sardin, offers the first glimpse at a projected release window for the flick: 2013.

Sardin mentioned the vague date range when detailing the company's ongoing support of the franchise. "Another thing that is very important for the lifecycle is the transmedia offer. All the figurines, the books, the publishing, and we have a movie in the next coming year," Sardin explains. "So it's not only about games, we are talking about a global brand, and this is the life cycle management we want to set up now."

The film stars Michael Fassbender - of Prometheus and Inglourious Basterds fame - and is being produced by New Regency. Ubisoft recently struck a deal with the production company in order to "fast-track" the flick [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120269-Ubisoft-Fast-Tracks-Assassins-Creed-Film], and hopefully ensure that it doesn't fall into the same limbo as movies like Halo or BioShock.

Of course, while development appears to be moving along as planned, there's no telling just how good (or bad) the movie itself will turn out to be. We'll have to wait and see if Ubisoft has another silver screen hit on its hands, ala Prince of Persia, or a bargain bin reject like with BloodRayne, Doom, and (ugh) Postal.

Source: GamesIndustry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-11-12-marketing-murder-the-secrets-of-selling-assassins-creed-iii]

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[Buizel91]

I really do hope this is good, wonder who the main character is, doubt it'll be Ezio or Connor.

 

[IckleMissMayhem]

Like any good assassin, Ubisoft's new game-to-movie adaptation seems to have snuck up on us quietly.

No kidding. Hadn't heard anything about anything regarding an AC movie. Sounds exciting though!

 

[FEichinger]

"So it's not only about games, we are talking about a global brand, and this is the life cycle management we want to set up now."

And this is something I really despise. In order to get the entire experience, we're more and more pushed to buying tons of extra stuff. Books, movies, games exclusive to social platform X and console Y. I would love for the games to be self-contained units, rather than a mere share of whatever story we're trying to tell.

 

[Mahorfeus]

I know it would have been utterly impractical and terrible cost and profit-wise, but I can't help but think that it would have been hilarious if the movie release just came out of nowhere.

 

[Marik2]

"So it's not only about games, we are talking about a global brand, and this is the life cycle management we want to set up now."

And this is something I really despise. In order to get the entire experience, we're more and more pushed to buying tons of extra stuff. Books, movies, games exclusive to social platform X and console Y. I would love for the games to be self-contained units, rather than a mere share of whatever story we're trying to tell.

Yeah I'm tired of that as well. Would wish that so many games would stop making people buy so many supplementary material in order to be able to get the full experience of the franchise

 

[crazyrabbits]

Nah, it won't be 2013. They haven't even jumped into pre-production yet. Unless they're somehow suggesting they can burn through all three production processes in 11 months (especially for a film they're supposedly throwing millions at, and just had the script approved), it won't be out next year. I don't take the word of a publishing exec as confirmation of anything besides wishful thinking.

Also, I still expect that the project will stall.

 

[Falcon123]

Anyone else taken aback by the notion that Prince of Persia was a hit ? I mean, it's a nice thought and all, but the general consensus seems to be that no good video game movie has come out yet. And if they're rushing it (which they would be if it actually was released in 2013), I doubt it will break the trend.

Take your time and get it right, guys. This is one of my favourite video game series of all time. Please don't screw this up

 

[yretsyMredruM]

Anyone else taken aback by the notion that Prince of Persia was a hit ? I mean, it's a nice thought and all, but the general consensus seems to be that no good video game movie has come out yet. And if they're rushing it (which they would be if it actually was released in 2013), I doubt it will break the trend.

Take your time and get it right, guys. This is one of my favourite video game series of all time. Please don't screw this up

I don't think he meant that the movie was a hit, as in well-received. I think he was talking about the revenue the movie generated. Prince of Persia took home over $300 million for a film that Wikipedia estimates to have cost $150-$200 million. In the sense of revenue generated then yes, the movie was a hit.

 

[Callate]

Anyone else taken aback by the notion that Prince of Persia was a hit ? I mean, it's a nice thought and all, but the general consensus seems to be that no good video game movie has come out yet.

Well, it ranks #2 in box office among video game adaptions (behind the first Tomb Raider movie) according to boxofficemojo.com, and rises to first if you account for the international box office receipts (about $335m combined total of domestic and international.)

I thought it was a pretty entertaining movie, and probably one of the better attempts to weave a story in the field of adaptions. It did have a few glitches in the story, but nothing insurmountable. For a video game adaption, it did phenomenally well; I'll grant "hit" on the greater field might be a bit much.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

It could stall but honestly. Forget that for a sec.

Fassbender as an Assassin. That's what I'm taking away from all this.

Man, this is potentially awesome.

 

[vansau]

Prince of Persia was a major hit at the international box office. It just didn't do well domestically. Looks like Ubi has learned their lesson after letting Uwe Boll direct Far Cry.

 

[ExtraDebit]

I really hope it isn't about the Desmond arc, we already played the games and know the story. I rather see something new that's base in the same universe.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

They are rushing it. Not good. Not good at all.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Well they can't make the plot any more confusing.

 

[Beautiful End]

Yaaaaay! I'm actually looking forward to that. After Prince of Persia, I'd like to assume Ubisoft, and whoever is also responsible for the movie's production, already knows what road to take. And I love AC. I didn't like the first one as much and I'm assuming the movie will follow Altair and maybe showcase a bit of Desmond's case. but still, it's a start!

 

[fozzy360]

Release in 2013? I doubt that. This doesn't seem like a property that can just rushed into production. High concept, big budget movies (which I'm sure this film will be) can't really be rushed through all stages of production in a little more than a year. I mean you could, but I'm sure that the end product will suffer in the end. The only real exception I can think of is First Class, which was shot, edited, and released in less than a year.

Still, haven't seen anything yet, so I'm holding out some hope that this may be decent.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

I'm personally hoping the movie does its own thing, perhaps giving us a new Assassin in a new era while still remaining in canon with the rest of the franchise. A direct adaptation in such a large, unexplored world seems wrong to me somehow.