20th Century Fox has released the first Assassin's Creed movie trailer online. Directed by Justin Kurzel (Macbeth), the film stars Michael Fassbender as death row inmate Callum Lynch, who is whisked away to Abstergo and, through a revolutionary technology, enabled to experience the memories of his ancestor Aguilar in 15th Century Spain.
This is almost an excellent trailer. They spend a bit too long on the setup, but once they get to Spain, everything looks impeccable. We saw with Macbeth just how gorgeous Kurzel's take on combat can be, and Assassin's Creed looks to raise that bar with killer cinematography, again by Adam Arkapaw (the guy who's also behind that iconic one-er in True Detective Season 1), and the rapid-fire/parkour hand-to-hand combat that I adore from the games. However, that music. I don't know why anybody thought it was a good idea to set the first Assassin's Creed trailer to Kanye, but it wasn't. Full stop. It's incongruous, and not in a fun way, in a jarring way. Fortunately, the footage doesn't give the sense that's the vibe they're going for in the film. Everything else looks pretty well on point, and I'm definitely on the way to thinking Assassin's Creed could be the first great video game movie.
Check out the Assassin's Creed trailer below, and for much more, check out Adam's full set visit report including 35 things to know and his on-set interview with Fassbender. The film opens December 21st and also stars Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and Michael K. Williams.
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. ASSASSIN’S CREED stars Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past, 12 Years a Slave) and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, La Vie en Rose). The film is directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth); produced by New Regency, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, DMC Films and Kennedy/Marshall; co-financed by RatPac Entertainment and Alpha Pictures; and distributed by 20th Century Fox . ASSASSIN’S CREED opens in theaters worldwide on December 21st, 2016.
