The film and television division of video game publisher and developer Ubisoft, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, has already collaborated with New Regency once before. The companies plan to bring Tom Clancy’s Assassin’s Creed to the big screen with filming to begin in 2013, but another project has also been announced.
Enter ‘Splinter Cell’
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell has been signed on through New Regency. Although the projects are separate, Splinter Cell’s production will build off the relationship formed through Assasin’s Creed.
Ubisoft Motion Pictures was only established January, 2011, in order to expand the audience of its successful video game franchises, but the company is already sprouting films quickly.
Graphics are obviously going to be a key component to the film’s success as both gamers and movie goers will be the target audience. If UMP hopes to make headway in the film world, their first films need to define the same quality that is featured in their video games.
Tom Hardy as Lead Special Op
Signed on to play the lead protagonist of Splinter Cell, Sam Fisher, is up and coming Hollywood hunk Tom Hardy. Hardy will play the highly-trained special operative in a fictional black-ops sub-division, “Echelon”. In the award winning stealth action video game series, Fisher and his fellow agents use their combat skills and high tech weapons to fight terrorist threats. The game has sold over 23 million copies since its debut in 2002.
With the popularity of the game, and Tom Hardy’s growing fan base, Splinter Cell may be able to pull in decent numbers at the box office. In addition to the six current Splinter Cell game variations, Ubisoft Toronto Studio has been developing a 7th installment, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist, set for a Spring 2013 release date. Plus, screenwriter Eric Warren Singer, best known for The International, is signed on to pen the script.
Hopefully Ubisoft is making some crucial business decisions that will pay off; making a movie with high tech weapons and terrorist explosions will not be cheap. Add in a great writer and a star actor and you’ve got yourself some big expectations. The company doesn’t disappoint when it comes to action packed, fun, and realistic video games, let’s just hope they can translate that enthusiasm on screen.
