Hollywood needs to cool it on the summer tentpoles. 2015 is possibly the most jam-packed year for sequels, adaptations and high-budget blockbusters on record by this point, but studios are showing no signs of slowing down as 2oth Century Fox has just slotted an August 2015 release date for Assassin’s Creed, a feature film adaptation of Ubisoft’s mega-successful video-game franchise.
Despite all the competition that it will face, the studio has one major reason to feel optimistic about Assassin’s Creed‘s prospects: Michael Fassbender. The X-Men: First Class actor became a household name in 2011, and his star is still burning bright with a Terrence Malick project, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Macbeth in the pipeline. He’s also considered a strong contender for Best Supporting Actor this year after his turn in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave. Fassbender quite clearly believes in the Assassin’s Creed project too, as he has committed to both star in and co-produce the film.
For those who were worried, Fox will be sticking pretty closely to the story of the first game if this initial plot synopsis is any indication:
A bartender is captured by a large corporation and sent into a machine named the Animus to relive the memories of his ancestors – most of whom are Assassins – to retrieve powerful and dangerous artifacts.
Assassin’s Creed features a script from first-time writer Michael Lesslie, and The Wolverine scribe Scott Frank recently provided a re-write. The fact that Fox passed the high-profile project off to a newcomer suggests that something about Lesslie, whether it was his sales pitch or love of the game, really won over the studio. Though Frank’s involvement might indicate problems with Lesslie’s script, Fox may also just be covering itself by letting an experienced screenwriter give his input. A positive critical reception is key for the film’s success, considering the huge competition it will face at the box office.
2015 is already packed with other, equally anticipated projects. In May, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Brad Bird’s top-secret sci-fi film Tomorrowland will likely dominate the multiplex. June will see Jurassic World, Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot, Pixar’s cerebral adventure Inside Out and Ted 2 hit theaters, while July will herald the arrival of Terminator, Despicable Me spin-off Minions, Batman vs. Superman and Ant-Man. That brings us to August, which will likely fill up in the next few months but currently features only Assassin’s Creed and The Smurfs 3.
Will Assassin’s Creed translate well to the big screen? Is Michael Fassbender an appropriate choice to play Desmond Miles/Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad? Let us know in the comments section!
Assassin’s Creed will hit screens on August 7th, 2015.