20th Century Fox has unveiled the first clip from Assassin’s Creed, the highly anticipated adaptation of the popular video game franchise. Directed by Justin Kurzel (Macbeth), the film stars Michael Fassbender as a death row inmate named Callum Lynch who is abducted from his execution and put into a facility where his genetic memories are used to help find an ancient artifact. Through a device called the Animus, Lynch is able to unlock and relive the memories of his ancestor Aguilar in 15th Century Spain, where he sets about searching for said artifact.
This first clip shows us the first time Lynch is forced into the Animus, and indeed Kurzel and his team re-envisioned how this particular device works for the feature film adaptation. The idea was to make the Animus more cinematic than simply sitting down in a chair, so as you can see, the Animus of the film actually allows Fassbender to move around in the air, elevated by the device.
Video game movies are by and large not very good, and while it feels like Fox has been marketing this film forever, my hopes are high. Kurzel is a swell filmmaker, Adam Arkapaw is a phenomenal cinematographer, and the cast is solid. So here’s hoping.
Check out the first Assassin’s Creed movie clip below. The film also stars Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Michael K. Williams, and Brendan Gleeson. Assassin’s Creed opens in theaters on December 21st.
Here's the official synopsis for Assassin's Creed:
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) 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.