It's been hard for video game adaptations to make a positive mark in the box office but it looks like New Regency is not at all worried about past trends as it is making plans for a sequel to "Assassin's Creed" well before the movie even hits theaters.
Set for a December release, the adaptation of the hit video game stars Michael Fassbender. According to The Tracking Board, the actor will also be starring in the planned sequel. Others from the first movie who will also be participating in the follow-up include producers Jean-Julien Baronnet (for Ubisoft Motion Pictures), Frank Marshall and Conor McCaughan. Fassbender is also on board as a producer.
"Assassin's Creed" tells the story of Callum Lynch (Fassbender), who after discovering he comes from a long line of a secret society of deadly assassins, wages war on the Knights Templar in the present, as his ancestors did in the past.
Lynch is able to tap into the memories of Aguilar, his ancestor and an assassin from 15th-century Spain, arming him with Aguilar's incredible knowledge, ability and skills and allowing him to fight to keep the Templars at bay.
While the movie carries the same title as Ubisoft's popular video game series, it does not follow the stories told in the games. Lynch and Aguilar's storyline was specifically created for the movie but it will be carried out in the same world as the video game.
While it's generally intriguing for a movie sequel to be planned before its predecessor's performance has been gauged, it's a bit more natural to be expected from "Assassin's Creed" given the widespread appeal of the video game and Fassbender's star quality.
Having a lot of investors may have also pushed New Regency to make bolder decisions about the movie's future. The first movie has a budget of $125 million, including financing from Alpha Pictures International and RatPac Entertainment. Depending on how it does in the box movie, its sequel may be given more.
Also starring Marion Cotillard, "Assassin's Creed" is set to hit cinemas on Dec. 21, 2016.
