Ubisoft exercising strict control over Assassin's Creed movie

Ubisoft's high degree of control over the Assassin's Creed movie project left a few studios cold on the project, and makes some Hollywood insiders wonder if it will ever see the light of day.

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Ubisoft is exerting an unprecedented control over the movie adaptation of Assassin's Creed, leading some in Hollywood to think the project is doomed to be a non-starter. Since the franchise is such a financial success already, Sony Pictures reportedly had to agree to let Ubisoft approve large decisions as the budget, cast, script, and release date.

"The whole Ubisoft/Sony deal is a waste of ink, paper and time," said one talent agent. "The level of control Sony gave up means, effectively, that Assassin's Creed will never - and I mean never - get made."

Vulture (via OXM) reports that these creative demands could explain why DreamWorks, Universal, and Warner Bros all passed on the project. One studio chief called Ubisoft's position "ridiculous."

"It's [Ubisoft's] billion-dollar brand, so I get that they're protective," said another studio head. "But they're not moviemakers, and the only way to make sure it's a bad movie is to undervalue what movie studios do - and this is a deal that totally undervalues what movie studios do."

Another asked, "If they’re so afraid of what will happen to their franchises, why make a movie at all?"

On the other hand, Sony Pictures, which was nearing a deal a few weeks ago, might not be as crazy as the scoffers suggest. One source claims that Ubisoft kicked in a large sum of its own money for the project, making Sony responsible for much less of the initial investment than typically seen in these kinds of deals, but still able to benefit from a potential hit.

While the established studio system is skeptical about Ubisoft's film production chops, the company has been eager to branch out into other forms of media. It recently opened a film and TV division, and is already at work producing a Raving Rabbids TV series for Nickelodeon.

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  • reply
    November 4, 2011 8:00 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Ubisoft exercising strict control over Assassin's Creed movie.

    Ubisoft's high degree of control over the Assassin's Creed movie project left a few studios cold on the project, and makes some Hollywood insiders wonder if it will ever see the light of day.

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      November 4, 2011 8:10 AM

      Make is spelled wrong "only way to amke sure it's a bad movie" Feel free to delete this post. Thanks for the read :)

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      November 4, 2011 8:13 AM

      Uh. The only thing this tells me is that I won't be able to watch (and get disappointed) another worthless movie based on a video game. For them (the movie makers) it's a lot worse, since they're only out there to make some quick cash and not a great movie. And now they might lose the cash, waah waah.

      Name one game-based movie that was good and not half-rushed to only live on it's brand?

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      November 4, 2011 8:16 AM

      Because Hollywood did such a good job with Sands of Time.

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        November 4, 2011 8:18 AM

        Soundtrack, costuming, and the girl was about all I recall being of any value in that film.

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        November 5, 2011 4:06 PM

        Movies that have more people messing with them are usually worse than those that have one person calling the shots. I have no idea if Ubisoft are going to be better at getting this movie right than sony but having that many more extra people messing with it is not a good sign.

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      November 4, 2011 8:17 AM

      I would rather have no Assassin's Creed movie than a terrible one (a'la Max Payne).

      I found Scott Miller's thoughts on what went wrong the Max Payne movie interesting:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LWm7CBsRQQ&feature=youtu.be&t=8m8s

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      November 4, 2011 8:20 AM

      Just like id did with the Doom movie?

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      November 4, 2011 8:21 AM

      The movie projectors have to be connected to the internet at all times, or the movie will pause until a connection is re-established.

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      November 4, 2011 8:22 AM

      ...and if your local movie theater doesn't stay connected to Ubi's "consumer protection" servers, the movie will stop playing mid way through.

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      November 4, 2011 8:50 AM

      I get it. They give the rights to a studio and the studio picks Uwe Boll to do the movie. Fuck that.

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      November 4, 2011 10:52 AM

      Ubisoft wants control over their own brand/ip? Oh boohoo Hollywood. Maybe now we'll actually get a movie with quality story and not just focused on how good the actors look.

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      November 4, 2011 11:45 AM

      This is funny because I think Ubisoft could probably make the AC movie better than any Hollywood studio. They know the source material.

      Studios want full control so now they are pissed. This is funny.

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      November 4, 2011 12:19 PM

      that means its gonna be straight to DVD animated like dead space and halo

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      November 4, 2011 4:06 PM

      [deleted]

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      November 7, 2011 8:19 AM

      As long as they keep the PEGI 18 rating, this movie will be awesome.

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