Successfully adapting a video-game into a feature-film seems to be a rare beast, but Justin Kurzel's ASSASSIN'S CREED is hoping that it will be one of the few to get it right; at the very least, it's got one heck of a cast, including Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Michael K. Williams, and Brendan Gleeson. ASSASSIN'S CREED recently wrapped production and Michael Fassbender spoke with Empire to reveal a few details about the film, including a comparison to certain mind-bending sci-fi film.
I’ve always thought about The Matrix when we’ve approached this, this 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.
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If you're familiar with ASSASSIN'S CREED, that comparison should make sense, as Michael Fassbender will be playing two roles in the film including 15th-century swashbuckler Aguilar and his genetically-linked, modern-day ancestor, Callum Lynch. After Lynch discovers that he's descended from an ancient and secretive society of assassin's, he's then coerced into experiencing the adventures of his ancestor thanks to a technology that is able to unlock genetic memories. Those familiar with the video-game will also know that the game features some opportunities for some pretty spectacular stunts, something Michael Fassbender promises the film will deliver, with the minimum of green-screen work.
There’s very little green screen in this, which is highly unusual in these films. We have stunt guys jumping across buildings in (Maltese capital) Valletta. 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. We’re not trying to make it too crazy violent, although obviously there is an element of that, but what is really cool is that our action sequences are on real sets and real locations.
Green-screen and CGI is obviously here to stay, but there's been a refreshing shift back towards real stunts and real locations in big-budget genre films like this. Whether the film will live up to Fassbender's praises and break the video-game to film curse remains to be seen, but we'll find out for sure once ASSASSIN'S CREED is released on December 21, 2016.
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