After reporting that screenwriter Eric Singer (The International) would be adapting the Ubisoft game Splinter Cell for the big screen, word has come out that none other than Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) is attached to star. Hardy will play special operative Sam Fisher, the character who kicked off the video game franchise that will release its seventh installment next spring. The project is not yet set up at a studio, but Ubisoft has talked to Warner Bros. and Paramount. Moving forward, Ubisoft presumably looks to retain a majority of control over creative development as has become characteristic of the company since its Prince of Persia feature adaptation. Hit the jump for more.

We recently saw some major movement on the feature film adaptation of the video game series Splinter Cell as Warner Bros. and Paramount were both competing for the rights to produce the adaptation, and now it looks like things are moving right along as a screenwriter has been tapped to pen the screenplay for the feature film.  We’ve learned that Eric Singer, who penned director Tom Tykwer’s 2009 thriller The International starring Clive Owen, has been tapped by Ubisoft to get to work on the script for the film iteration of Splinter Cell.

For those unfamiliar, the Splinter Cell video game series follows the adventures of a covert operative named Sam Fisher.  There have been six games in the series thus far, with the seventh set for release next spring.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer for the upcoming Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

With just a few short weeks to go until the Revolutionary War-centric third title in the Assassin’s Creed video game series is released, the feature film adaptation is moving closer to reality.  We learned this past July that Michael Fassbender had signed on to star in and co-produce the project with Ubisoft, and now the film has found a financier and distributor in New Regency.  Hit the jump for more.

Last fall, we reported that Sony Pictures was set to adapt Ubisoft’s popular video game, Assassin’s Creed, but that the project was stalling due to Ubisoft’s demands for control.  The negotiations between the studios were put on hold as Ubisoft looked to develop the film independently.  However, the assassination looks to be back on in a big way as Michael Fassbender is set to star in and co-produce the flick.  And just like that, I’m interested in an adaptation of Assassin’s Creed.

Hit the jump for more.  Fassbender will be seen next year in Steve McQueen‘s Twelve Years a Slave and Ridley Scott‘s The Counselor.

Warner Bros. and Paramount are competing for the rights to developing a film based off the popular video game series Splinter Cell.  According to Deadline, the studios are in talks with video game developer Ubisoft, which means that the movie will be based off the games rather than the Tom Clancy novels that inspired the series.  Paramount is reportedly the frontrunner to acquire the property, which follow the adventures of covert operative Sam Fisher and his cool night vision goggles.  There have been six games thus far with the seventh in the series, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, having recently been revealed at this year’s E3.  Because video game adaptations tend to be terrible, Ubisoft is determined to have more control over the property (they’re also taking the same approach with the adaptation of Assassin’s Creed).  At least they learned a lesson from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

If Paramount picks up Splinter Cell, they will be even deeper in the Tom Clancy business.  The studio is still trying to develop a reboot of the Jack Ryan franchise with Chris Pine as the new handsome-desk-jockey-hero with Kenneth Branagh set to direct.  Paramount is also developing an adaptation of the spinoff novel Without Remorse, which features the far more interesting character John Clark (previously played by Willem Dafoe and Liev Schreiber).  Hit the jump to see the trailer for Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

When we reported that Sony Pictures had planned to adapt Assassin’s Creed, we told you that “Ubisoft has set the terms of the deal to be a more active participant in the movie’s development.” Mark that as the understatement of the year, because details have emerged suggesting that Ubisoft now exercises an unheard of amount of control over the project. Says one insider: “As a director, even Steven Spielberg cannot get this kind of deal.”

Sony apparently has granted Ubisoft control over the budget, casting, script and release date, in a deal that sets a dangerous precedent. Though, in the history of video game franchises made into movies, there have been more busts than blockbusters. Perhaps Ubisoft and Sony think this is the answer to the problem. Or perhaps Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot threatened the studio execs with a hidden blade. Hit the jump for more details.

Sony Pictures is already hard at work trying to turn the popular video game series Uncharted into a movie (even though it kind of already is), and now they’ve cast their eye to another “Grab all the Walls” game.  Variety reports that the studio is in final negotiations with game developer Ubisoft for the screen rights to Assassin’s Creed.  The games center on an a secret order of assassins operating in past centuries (the first game is set in the 12th century, the next two games are in the 15th century), but are framed within a sci-fi context of being the memories of a hapless everyman* who’s at the center of a present-day secret war.  The game features lots of parkour and trying to covertly pull off assassinations before you blow it and have to run the target down in the most attention-grabbing fashion possible.

Ubisoft has set the terms of the deal to be a more active participant in the movie’s development rather than provide a one-off licensing agreement.  Ubisoft chief Yves Guillemot says he also wants movies of Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon.  Hit the jump to see a trailer for the first game and start your fan-casting in the comments section.

Ubisoft, the French videogame publisher and developer responsible for such franchises as Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia and the Splinter Cell series is now moving into feature films. Variety reports that the publisher is launching Ubisoft Motion Pictures in order to adapt their properties for film and television. Jean-Julien Baronnet, who was the CEO of Luc Besson’s (The Fifth Element) EuropaCorp, will head the Paris-based film division.

Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia game was adapted by Jerry Bruckheimer and was a fairly large commercial success, raking in $335 million worldwide. The same can’t be said of its critical reception. The immensely successful Assassin’s Creed series is the next logical film adaptation from the Ubisoft library, but one wonders if the company could pull off a successful adaptation of that magnitude for its first feature outing. There’s no official word on which properties are being eyed or even what outside producers would be brought in to foster them through development. Expect more information sooner rather than later.

Ubisoft has premiered a trailer for their upcoming Scott Pilgrim vs. The World video game at this year’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo).  They’ve also released four minutes of gameplay and it all looks so sweet.  It perfectly recalls the old-school gaming references that run throughout Bryan Lee O’Malley’s books and (as seen in the trailer) Edgar Wright’s upcoming film.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and the gameplay footage.  The game is due out in August for the PlayStation Network.  While I prefer Xbox Live Arcade, I’ll probably end up shelling out coins for both.

Good movie-based video games are few and far between, but with Ubisoft’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World we may be due up for another success this August (although technically, it’s a comic book-based video game).  Game Informer got some hands-on time with the game along with some screenshots from the upcoming side-scrolling brawler (e.g. Streets of Rage, River City Ransom).  According to GI, you’ll start off with Scott, Ramona Flowers, Kim Pine, and Stephen Stills as playable characters but Ubisoft hinted at unlockable characters, modes, and levels.

Hit the jump to learn more about the game and check out some screenshots.

If you haven’t seen the short Logorama, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Sunday, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy, the directors behind the short are now in contract to create a 20 minute film based on the newest Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon video game. THR is reporting that the film will act as a prequel to the newest game titled Ghost Recon: Future Soldiers, which is due out this holiday season. The film is being written by Children of Men scribe Tim Sexton and produced by Ridley Scott’s production company RSA, with a budget of 8-10 million dollars.

This isn’t the first time that video game developer Ubisoft has had a short film made for a game. In late 2009 we saw the game Assassin’s Creed 2′s release come with the short film Assassins Creed: Lineage. The film was split up into 3 parts and released on YouTube (which can be found here) and later released as a television event on Spike. It’s safe to assume a similar situation will arise here.

Logorama was my favorite of all the animated shorts from Sunday’s nominees, and I’m incredibly excited to see what these new directors are going to do with this franchise. If you haven’t already done so, please sit down and watch the gem that is Logorama. It doesn’t disappoint.