“Assassin’s Creed” movie finally started the ball rolling and kicked off filming in Malta. The Ubisoft video game based flick is headlined by “X-Men” franchise’s Magneto, Michael Fassbender.
Fassbender will reunite with Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard and “Macbeth” director Justin Kurzel to work on “Assassin’s Creed” which is a period setting movie.
According to Screen Rant, the Southern European island country of Malta was the location of Ubisoft’s film production company, Ubisoft Motion Pictures and 20th Century Fox’s “Assassin’s Creed” principal photography.
Malta has been a favorite place for historical dramas and action/adventures such as “The Count of Monte Cristo,” “Gladiator” and “Troy” in a span of fifteen years. Brad Pitt’s “World War Z” and Tom Hanks “Captain Phillips” also shot some scenes in the famed region. This time around, Malta plays 15th century Spain, for a fresh storyline not derived from any “Assassin’s Creed video game history.
Malta Today reported Malta’s Film Commissioner Engelbert Grech statement read, “Malta has truly become a key film location. 'Assassin’s Creed' chose Malta following discussion with the Malta Film Commission and will benefit from incentives offered to productions filming in Malta.”
In the video game adapted movie, Michael Fassbender’s character Callum Lynch uncovers his ancestry — the Assassins, a mystical secret society. He is able to experience his ancestor, Aguilar’s, adventures in 15th Century Spain. Callum must gather incredible skills and knowledge to battle the powerful and oppressive present day Templar organization by unlocking his genetic memories through the use of a revolutionary technology, as per Comicbook.com.
According to Crossmap, the announcement of the movie has been spearheaded by Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot. He said, "We have the pleasure to announce today that the green light has been given by New Regency, and the production has already started. This is a very important milestone for the project and for our team on Assassin's Creed."
Rumors first circulated that Ubisoft planned to create a film based on the popular video game when it started its new division, Ubisoft Motion Pictures. It’s only fitting that fans of the video game clamored for a movie adaptation since the game is a great source of plotlines.
Nevertheless, Ubisoft's Azaïzia Aymar said via Twitter, “Assassin’s Creed” is a “brand new story, with new characters set in our universe.”
He further teased that the movie will have surprises for avid fans.
Stay tuned for more updates on “Assassin’s Creed” movie which will hit theaters on Dec. 21, 2016.
