When it comes to video game-to-film adaptations, I’m having trouble thinking of any series that had more than two entries go to theaters. Obviously there’s Resident Evil, but that deviated so far from the plot of the game that it’s kinda become its own thing and I don’t even think of them as “video game films” anymore. However, Assassin’s Creed is hoping to buck that trend by turning the upcoming sci-fi action/adventure film into a trilogy, according to star Michael Fassbender.
Speaking with CinemaBlend, Fassbender explained that this was the plan from the start, saying, “This is the sort of origin of his story. We have an idea of where he’s going to go over the next two films. We kind of did a three-film arc. We’ll wait and see how people respond to this, but for sure, we have an idea of where he’s going to go next.”
Related: Early Fan Reviews for ‘Assassin’s Creed’ Are Quite Positive
While this is a great theory in concept, it raises some concerns. Video game films are notoriously unreliable, with the majority of them underperforming at the box office. Unless there is an opportunity to recoup the funding via other methods, such as merchandising, it’s hard to justify making another film. Since Assassin’s Creed already has several video games behind it, it wouldn’t make sense to make one based off the movie. As for action figures and other merch, that’s already been done. There has to be a long plan in the works here, something that will set the series apart.
Being 100% speculative here, I wouldn’t be surprised if the studio is ready to take a loss on this title but keep pressing forward with the plan to somehow implement VR technology in some manner. Such an idea makes total sense as many fans of the video games are already used to FPS experiences, so adapting to something that mixes film and user interaction isn’t out of the realm of possibility. How they’d marry the two is concern but I’m sure there are people far smarter than myself who are already dealing with that issue.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
Directed by Justin Jurzel, Assassin’s Creed stars Michael Fassbender along with Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and Michael K. Williams. It comes out December 21st.
