The Assassin's Creed film is moving full steam ahead, as it has been announced actress Marion Cotillard will be joining Michael Fassbender in the adaptation of Ubisoft's hit video game franchise.
Who exactly Cotillard will be portraying on screen is still unknown, but if nothing else Cotillard and Fassbender should work well together. The two previously worked together, along with Assassan's Creed director Justin Kurzel, on Macbeth.
Cotillard won an Oscar for her role in La Vie En Rose and also portrayed Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, Talia, in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.
Details on the Assassin's Creed plot are scarce. The game series spans multiple time periods and more than seven core installments, giving the film's creators a wide range of material to pull from. If the film is being based on the original Assassin's Creed game, which depicts the birth of the modern Assassin Order and their never-ending secret war with the Templars, then it is likely to be set during the Crusades. What makes Assassin's Creed interesting, however, is that the games also have a present day component as well, with the player characters diving into their "genetic memories" in order to experience the lives of their ancestors.
If it is based on the first game, Fassbender could be portraying the assassin Altair. Cotillard then could play the role of Altair's love interest and eventual wife, Maria Thorpe. Thorpe during the first game is still a member of the Templar Order, but later defects to the Assassins.
If the movie proves successful, Fassbender and Cotillard will likely appear in multiple Assassin's Creed films.
Fans will just have to wait to see exactly what Ubisoft and partner New Regency have in store for lovers of the game and newcomers alike. The movie has a release date scheduled for December 21, 2016.
