Ubisoft, one of the most influential video game creators of our time, is breaking into the film business. In May of 2012, the Paris-based Ubisoft created Ubisoft Motion Pictures with the goal of creating films of their video game franchises of Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon.

Ubisoft will have full creative control over every aspect of all three films: writer, director, cast, everything. So far there is no director or release date yet, but it has been confirmed that Michael Fassbender, Magneto in ‘X-Men First Class’ will star and co-produce the Assassin’s Creed film.

“Ubisoft has decided to never sell its licenses because it wants to have creative control,” stated Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet. “There are strong licences and investments in important games that require us to diversify sources of franchise value and synergies.”

Ubisoft has decided to extend to the big screen because, as Baronnet stated, “humans convey more emotion on the big screen. And it shouldn’t be forgotten that actors bring viewers into the cinemas.” Baronnet also expressed that Ubisoft was worried about how another company would change the story. “We prefer making the film a 100 percent by ourselves instead of having a studio that could betray the spirit of the license, because this would have a negative effect on the image of the game.”

It is completely understandable why Ubisoft is being a little obsessive about holding on to the creative rights of the trilogy. The story is extremely intricate with several well developed characters. The Assassin’s Creed story, first launched in 2007, surrounds the character Desmond Miles who lives in the present day. He is descended from several individuals who were a part of a group known as the Assassins. The Assassins archenemies are the Templars, a rivalry which dates back thousands of years.

In present day, the Templars and Assassins are still at war; the Assassins protecting freedom while the Templars attempt to control the populace through mind control and manipulation. Desmond Miles, a former member of the Assassins, is kidnapped by the Templars and put in a machine known as the Animus so he can revisit the memories of his ancestors in order for the Templars to find a weapon hidden long ago.

The first ancestor, Altair, whose memories he explores was the plot of Assassin’s Creed, the first game, and was set in the Crusades. The second ancestor, Ezio Auditore, is featured in Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed Revelations in which Ezio explores Renaissance Italy and Constantinople. The upcoming Assassin’s Creed III will feature a new ancestor, Connor, who lives in eighteenth century America and is half Native American and half European.

Ubisoft has made a deal with Sony that they will have complete control over the production of the film, but that also means that they must invest in it as well. Prior to the production of the Assassin’s Creed film, Ubisoft released two other short films that fell in before the release of Assassin’s Creed II and after Assassin’s Creed Revelations, the latest game. ‘Assassin’s Creed: Lineage’ was the first film and explained the background of Ezio, the second generation Desmond explores. ‘Assassin’s Creed: Embers’ is the latest film that explains the end of Ezio’s life.

This latest Assassin’s Creed Film will be the first produced by Ubisoft Motion Pictures, the new branch created by Ubisoft. Ubisoft Motion Pictures will also have a television division within it to create such shows as “Raving Rabbids,” an adaptation of one of their video games.

With the fantastic story and incredible game franchise we have all come to know and love, this film could be one of the best the year it is released (whenever that may be). Especially since all fans know that Ubisoft will do the story justice with the film – without adding elements that were not there to begin with or taking out important story elements that are necessary to the development. According to screenrant.com Ubisoft is hoping for a “long-term film franchise” which would definitely be necessary to cover all the material. However, the first film will have to do very well, not only with fans but with non-fans; here’s to hoping for the best.

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Steven Soderbergh’s new movie Haywire, currently in cinemas around the US, is the story of a black ops super soldier, seeking payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.

The first scenes Gina Carano, who plays the operative Mallory Kane, filmed were set in Dublin, where Mallory begins to suspect she is being set up. Irish actor Michael Fassbender plays Paul, the charming but duplicitous operative paired with Mallory for what appears to be a routine assignment. “Michael Fassbender is not only a handsome, charming man and a tremendous actor,” says producer Gregory Jacobs “He is also able to hold his own in a fight scene with Gina.”

“That we filmed those scenes first turned out to be a lucky circumstance,” says Soderbergh. “Michael was extremely helpful to Gina, putting in a lot of time working with her away from the set, going through the scenes and lines. It made her feel very comfortable.”

Carano admits she was so inexperienced that Fassbender had to teach her to run lines with another actor. “I’d never done that before,” she says. “Michael took me under his wing. He was really giving with his time. When we got to the fight sequence, it was great because that is my comfort zone. I was able to be physical and shine. It felt like an exchange of expertise.”

Fassbender says he signed on to the film for two reasons. “What I liked about the script was the intrigue. There are many things not said. It is an old-school espionage film, like the spy thrillers that I remember from my childhood. And I was excited to be working with Steven Soderbergh. He has an air of confidence that relaxes everyone on set.

The speed with which Steven works is fantastic. It lends itself to experimentation, which gave the filming a very fluid feel. We were able to discover scenes as we went. It happened very organically. I discovered bits and pieces of Paul every day.”

The actor was also fascinated with the idea of plunging a non-professional into the world of acting. “Gina was willing to jump in headfirst,” he says. “With her fight training, she wanted to get things right. But she’s also very good at just sitting and listening to notes, taking everything in and then applying it. It’s been impressive to watch her work. She has a unique energy as well, which I think shines through.”

The idea of performing a brutal, hand-to-hand fight scene with a woman left Fassbender nonplussed. “But it was just a matter of accepting it,” he says. “Going in I had no problem knowing that she was going to kick my arse all over the place.”

The scene is one of Carano’s favorites. “We were smashing each other into everything possible,” she says. “Vases were getting smashed over heads, we were tumbling over couches, I got slammed into a flat-screen and then there’s the triangle choke at the end!”

Ewan McGregor plays Mallory’s boss and erstwhile lover, Kenneth. Jacobs and Soderbergh consider snagging McGregor a casting coup. “To have an actor of his caliber play the bad guy and Mallory’s foil was exciting,” says Jacobs. “Ewan brought so much depth to the role.”

Working with Soderbergh was a long-held ambition for the actor. The quality of the script was icing on the cake. “It was a total page-turner,” McGregor says. “The action was vivid and well written, and the plot quite complex. This is a story where everyone is playing his own game, perhaps Kenneth especially. You’re allowed bits of information here and there that unlock scenes as you go along. And the characters are not movie characters; they’re very real.”

McGregor experienced Soderbergh’s legendary speed behind the camera the minute he arrived on set. “You really don’t believe it until you get there,” says the actor. “My first scene was in Spain, where Gina and I did a walk and talk down some stairs and reveal this beautiful cityscape behind us. Steven did it in one shot. There was an air traffic control strike in France at the time, so it took me 22 hours to get from Los Angeles to Spain. I shot for maybe an hour and a half, and then it took me about 22 hours to get home.

“But there are no rules about what makes a director great,” adds McGregor. “Steven is a quiet director, but he’ll absolutely guide you in the right direction when you need it. He’s meticulous and serious on the set, very concentrated, like a surgeon, ticking off shots. But when you get back to the hotel and hang out with him, he’s chatty and amiable.”

McGregor has high praise for his co-stars. “I was very lucky to have some wonderful scenes with Bill Paxton and Channing Tatum as well as with Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas. It’s always exciting, but frankly, it was quite nerve-wracking, to sit down and start shooting a scene with those two giants.”

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