The Assassin's Creed movie has locked down a release date, with the video game adaptation set to arrive on Memorial Day weekend 2015; May 22 to be exact. The film, based on the massively popular game series by Ubisoft, is set to star Michael Fassbender, although a director has yet to be named.
Fassbender will play Desmond Miles, a descendant of a long line of assassins. He is captured by a mysterious corporation, and forced to use a futuristic machine that lets him relive the genetic memories of his ancestors. The game is split between Desmond's story and that of Altair, an assassin living during the time of the Crusades. The latter half follows a secret war between a brotherhood of assassins and the templar, who would later go on to become an Illuminati-esque world power.
With its release date in place, Assassin's Creed is set to open three weeks after Marvel's The Avengers 2, and possibly in range of Star Wars: Episode 7. It is a big uncertainty whether the Assassin's Creed brand is strong enough to compete with that Disney juggernaut.
It was previously reported that Michael Lesslie, a playwright with no feature credits, is writing the screenplay. 20th Century Fox and New Regency are behind the project, with Michael Fassbender signed on as both an actor and a producer. Fassbender's star power and recent successful run with X-Men, Prometheus, and critically regarded films such as Shame, has managed to give the project a boost so far. Whether it is enough to get all of the pieces in place to begin production next summer is yet to be seen.
The Assassin's Creed series began in 2007 with the initial entry. As of 2013, the game series consists of five main games alongside quite a bit of supplementary material. The franchise has been phenomenally successful, selling over 55 million copies in addition to graphic novels, short films, art books, and other merchandise.