To this point, video game adaptations on the big screen have left a lot to be desired. Long thought to be an untapped source of content, video games-based films have yet to really break into the mainstream or prove consistently successful from a critical and box office standpoint. Whatever the reason for their failures, video game movies are still considered risky by most Hollywood studios.
Actor Michael Fassbender is hoping that his upcoming "Assassin's Creed" creates a new paradigm of filmmaking.
Based on the mega popular Ubisoft video game franchise, the "Assassin's Creed" movie stars the Academy Award-nominated actor ("Jobs") in the headlining role. Speaking to Empire Magazine, Fassbender linked his upcoming version of the story to "The Matrix," in that they both are built upon a sci-fi/techno foundation yet touch on so much more beyond the genre.
"I've always thought about The Matrix when we've approached this," Fassbender said. "The idea of DNA memory elevates it from a basic fantasy genre [piece[, because you have something an audience can actually believe in. Then the journey becomes so much more elevated, because you're on board in a different way."
Fassbender is mostly talking about the dual storylines that are playing out in different time periods. In the movie, he'll play modern-day Callum Lynch in addition to his ancestor Aguilar in 15th-centruy Spain. Lynch uses a machine known as the Animus in order to travel time and experience and ancestor's memories to unearth the long-held fued between the Assassins and the Templars. Similarly, "The Matrix" split its time between the real world and the computer simulation meant to be perceived as reality.
What's more, Fassbender promises a realistic action movie on top of the heady sci-fi themes laid out here. According to him, the movie is built on practical stunts with little green screen.
"We have stunt guys jumping across buildings in [Maltese capital] Valletta," he said. "We've got [stunt man] Damian Walters doing a 120-foot leap of faith, without any rope, into a bag, so it's pretty incredible to see."
If Fassbender's comments are any indication, "Assassin's Creed" could be the first video game-based movie to legitimize the genre in Hollywood's eyes.
