Even though the Assassin’s Creed film was critically panned, Ubisoft Motion Pictures is moving ahead with its cinematic adaptation of Tom Clancy’s The Division, the MMO shooter from Ubisoft Massive. The company has announced Stephen Gaghan as director and writer for the film, which is not a bad choice considering his Academy Award winning work as writer for Traffic. He also directed and wrote Syriana and has Gold coming out later this month.

Gaghan stated that, “I’m excited to work with Ubisoft Motion Pictures and collaborate with their team at Massive Entertainment to bring The Division to the big screen, they’re great guys, exceptionally creative, and willing to take risks.

“The game has been an enormous success, in large part due to the visual landscape they created, their vision of a mid-apocalyptic Manhattan. It’s immersive, wonderfully strange, and yet familiar, filled with possibilities. It’s also remarkable to be able to collaborate with Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal early in the process. We all feel the story Ubisoft created is more relevant than ever.”

Currently, Ubisoft Massive is busy working on the last expansion for The Division, titled Last Stand, along with update 1.6. More information on both is due soon so stay tuned.

The Rabbids are heading to the big screen as Ubisoft has announced its partnership with Sony Pictures to produce a feature film for the popular Rayman characters. Ubisoft Motion Pictures will be overseeing the project, while the development group “will actively participate in the film’s production.”

Ubisoft Motion Pictures executive director Jean-Julien Baronnet stated that, “This deal deepens our partnership with Sony Pictures and highlights our holistic approach to bringing Ubisoft’s brands to new audiences while still maintaining the brands’ creative integrity.”

Columbia Pictures production president Hannah Minghella meanwhile said that, “There is an infectious quality to the Rabbids. Their simple joy and absurd, anarchic behavior inadvertently causes you to look at the world afresh. There’s no end to the comedy and chaos they will cause when they invade our theatres.”

There’s no planned release date for the live-action/animated film so stay tuned for more details. But are you pumped for the Rabbids arriving on-screen? Let us know below.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Fassbender revealed the project’s status, saying, “That’s definitely happening. We’re just developing the script at the moment. I’d heard of it but had never played the game. I don’t have a video game player”.

Fassbender also revealed that his interest for the project stemmed from the fact that, “I met up with the guys from Ubisoft and they told me the story behind it, and I thought it was very interesting—the idea of reliving memories”.

The good news is that Fassbender is ridiculously talented and even when you give him a character such as Magneto, he’ll find a way to turn it into a poetic rendition. Will that work with an Assassin’s Creed film? Would it benefit from an actor approaching the project with a fresh approach? Let us know in the comments below.

Now, Ubisoft Motion Pictures has announced films for Watch_Dogs, Far Cry and the Rabbids. The three films will be packaged into a trio to be pitched for studios while directors and casts are recruited separately.

In a report by Variety, Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet stated this approach was so that “no one can tell us you have to do the movie a certain way.” He also clarified that, “These are not adaptations. We will create a brand new story. Always.”

This of course doesn’t include the Rabbids interactive TV series/video game for Xbox One. Along with these three new announcements, Ubisoft Motion Pictures now has six films in production. Stay tuned for more details on directors and cast members.

Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet stated that, “Having one of Hollywood’s boldest feature film directors attached to bringing Ghost Recon to the big screen is a dream come true for us. And with Warner Bros.’ unmatched track record of successfully producing, marketing and distributing big movies from the industry’s top talents, we think this project has huge potential.”

That currently make three projects for Ubisoft’s film division including the Splinter Cell film featuring Tom Hardy and Assassin’s Creed, produced by and starring Michael Fassbender. As for the infamous Bay, he is responsible for the Transformers films and is currently working on the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film along with Transformers 4.

Jean-Julien Baronnet, CEO of Ubisoft Motion Pictures, stated to Variety that, “Tom Hardy is currently one of the biggest talents in the film industry, and he has a phenomenal ability to take on complex and varied roles with his broad range of acting skills.

“His involvement in the ‘Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell’ movie is exciting news for movie and video game fans alike. Meanwhile, Eric Singer is one of the most talented writers of the moment, and … we’re confident he’ll bring a fresh approach and create a thrilling story … while still respecting all the codes and traditions of the franchise that are so important to fans.”

Ubisoft is currently in talks with Warner Bros and Paramount for producing the Splinter Cell movie.

Source: GIBiz

Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet decided on the company “because they are a talent- and filmmaker-driven company, with the same independent and creative mindset that we have at Ubisoft Motion Pictures.” Which is all well and good, but seriously guys, Elektra. There was nothing talent-driven or creative about that.

Development will now begin on a screenplay for the film, with Michael Fassbender of Hunger, Shame and X-Men: First Class fame playing the lead. He’s also attached as a producer to the project. So far the film could still go either way, but at least there are some mostly competent people behind it.

Source: GIBiz