When a game is being turned into a film – or TV show – it’s not a 100% guarantee that the original canon will be respected, and sometimes these adaptations turn out quite different from the original product. In some cases it’s just inevitable – when the game is mostly about gameplay and not so much about the plot, that doesn’t translate so well into a film and obviously requires some changes to make it work.
But on the other hand, sometimes such adaptations work out in a pretty smooth way and end up integrating themselves right into the world of the original game. Apparently, this will be the case with the upcoming “Assassin’s Creed” movie, which will likely share a lot with the games. In fact, it will be set in the very same universe, so we can expect to see plenty of similarities and maybe even some familiar faces from the original titles.
Michael Fassbender was already shown in costume in a picture released by the studio, and fans seemed to approve of how he represents the role. He will be playing Callum and Aguilar in their respective time periods, and the film will not take any serious liberties with the time period in which it takes place. So fans familiar with the story told in the games can expect something more or less similar from the film once it’s released.
This should be good in two ways – on one hand, it will make the film more attractive to fans of the original games who might have been skeptical towards it because it’s a film adaptation of their favorite game. On the other hand, it should also work quite well in terms of drawing new people to the franchise, as it’s not rare for a popular film to improve the popularity of the game it’s related to as well.
Of course, “Assassin’s Creed” is not exactly a franchise that needs any serious boost in its popularity, as it’s already one of the best known names in the gaming industry. It went through some difficult times with certain installments that were received less warmly than others, but it’s still going strong with countless fans who’re actively following the development of the new games.
Because of this, the film should have a pretty strong chance of success just based on how many people are going to see it on opening day, but of course the producers should also take care to come up with something interesting that players haven’t seen yet, instead of just retelling the same old story from one of the game installments.
We’re apparently going to see a story that matches the typical events in each installment in the game series. That is, Callum will use the Animus to see into the past of his ancestry and look through the eyes of some historic figures in his family, using that knowledge to gain more power and broaden the array of his options. He will have allies who will benefit from that as well.
We’ve been getting hints that various characters from the game series might make their way into the film in one form or another, although some of them might only appear in small cameo-like appearances. Still, that should work quite well in terms of improving the film’s immersion and making it more entertaining for those familiar with the games. On the other hand, it could also help tickle the curiosity of those who haven’t played the games yet.