While they haven’t made a movie yet, it seems that game developer Ubisoft sure knows how to use its Motion Pictures unit. Run by Jean-Julien Baronnet, the former head of EuropaCorp (Luc Besson’s film production company), the MPu has already secured two major Hollywood deals – Michael Fassbender is set to star in and co-produce ASSASSIN’S CREED, while Tom Hardy has signed on to spearhead SPLINTER CELL.
While any writers potentially involved have been kept under wraps and directors have not yet been secured, the fact that the deals are inked speaks volumes in and of itself. And while we won’t see either of the $100 million+ projects until late 2014 at the very earliest (with summer 2015 probably more likely, especially for ASSASSIN’S CREED), Ubisoft has already set industry precedent with its firm dealmaking and insistance on collaborative control.
And of course, if you’re successful, why stop? Word has now come out that Baronnet is in the midst of preparing a pitch to various studios for an adaptation of Ubisoft’s GHOST RECON franchise, a game series which already bears the “Tom Clancy” moniker and thereby shares ties with SPLINTER CELL and more than a few successful films of Hollywood’s recent past. The series itself (with twelve or so games in total across multiple platforms) puts the player in charge of a fictional U.S. Special Forces unit and emphasises tactical-based gameplay.
Make sure to stay tuned for more details as this deal potentially develops, and in the meantime make sure to strike back below with your thoughts on the adaption of this particular game property and what, if anything, can be done to set it apart from similar military-themed projects.