Unlike comic book films, Hollywood adaptations of video games have never truly received their moment in the spotlight. While franchises like Resident Evil have found financial success, critical reception for these projects often tends to be sour, leading to the belief that there is a "curse" on video game adaptations. In the recent interview with IGN, the cast of the upcoming Assassin's Creed discussed their approach to the film and how they think it will break the curse plaguing films of this nature.
Michael Fassbender is producing the film, along with starring as the protagonist, Callum Lynch. Fassbender acknowledged the problem, but it doesn't obscure his desire to make the best movie possible, "I was naive to be honest, it's only in a hindsight in one, sort of journalists to tell you there's a curse on video games. Then you go through the films that have been made... It's only a curse until somebody makes a good one, and then it's a different story. For me, I just found this universe to be fascinating and I thought there was so much in it that would lend itself so well to cinema experience. Never really concern me, and again, those kind of worries, or anything, you would stress around these areas is pointless, because there's nothing you can do about that all. Only you can do is focus your energies and try to make something good. Stressing about things like that don't get you anywhere".
Marion Cotillard (Sophia Rikkin) praised director Justin Kurzel as "an amazing director with a vision, who's not just a technician. That's why Michael got Justin on board, was to have the movie of the director, and not just a movie based on a video game, with very good technicians; and a studio movie. There's a vision behind the project".
At the end of the interview, Kurzel added his two cents about his relationship with Ubisoft, the company behind the Assassin's Creed video game series. "That kind of shift between past and present I thought was very unique and sort of cinematic idea. And on top of that Michael Fassbender asked me to do it and he was really passionate about it. Then Ubisoft, who just let gone like a film, like really find your own story and make it feel unique, different and choose new characters. There was a sort of freedom there that I thought was really encouraging".
Do you think Assassin's Creed will be the film to break the curse of video game adaptations? We'll find out when the film releases on December 21, 2016.