In Ubisoft’s video game franchise Assassin’s Creed, people have come up with a very unique way to get in touch with their roots: hooking themselves up to a machine called the Animus, which unlocks genetic memory and allows the user to experience the memories of their ancestors. Now this concept is coming to the big screen, courtesy of New Regency and Ubisoft Motion Pictures, as Michael Fassbender takes on the dual roles of Death Row inmate Callum Lynch and his 15th century relative, an Assassin called Aguilar de Nerha.
Assassin’s Creed sees Fassbender, who also co-produced the film, reunited with his Macbeth director Justin Kurzel and co-star Marion Cotillard. A recently-released image from the film showed Cotillard and Fassbender’s characters in what looks like the Animus testing facility at Abstergo, the modern-day front for the Assassin’s sworn enemies, the Templars, which conducts experiments using the Animus to try and uncover secrets from the past that can be turned to modern-day advantage. Between this and other teases for the film, Assassin’s Creed fans have been eager to see the first footage from the movie, and now it has finally arrived.
Debuting on Jimmy KimmelLive!, the trailer shows scenes from both the past and the future, and reveals a brand new take on the Animus technology from the games; rather than the subject sitting comfortably in a chair, Callum is lifted into the air by the machine - perhaps to better accommodate his movements as he explores Aguilar’s world. And yes, the trailer also features Aguilar performing the iconic “Leap of Faith”.
In addition to the trailer, 20th Century Fox has also unveiled the first poster for Assassin’s Creed:
Assassin’s Creed was written by Michael Lesslie, Bill Collage and Adam Cooper, and also stars Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Ariana Labed, Michael Kenneth Williams, Denis Ménochet and Matias Varela. The video game franchise upon which it’s based began in 2007 with the release of the original Assassin’s Creed, in which bartender Desmond Miles relived the memories of his ancestor, a Syrian Assassin operating during the Crusades. The most recent entry, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, was set in Victorian London.
Though there are many titles that could have been adapted, the movie version of Assassin’s Creed features a new story that’s not based on the narrative for any particular previously-released Assassin’s Creed game - though it will feature at least one familiar character from the games in the form of Alan Rikkin (Irons), the CEO of Abstergo and one of the core Templar leaders.
Assassin’s Creed arrives in theaters on December 21st, 2016.
