Justin Kurzel

The assassins of Assassin’s Creed have an assassin's creed that they recite repeatedly in Assassin’s Creed. (If that mere fact alone makes you smile, you’re in for a treat.) This creed involves the phrases like “nothing is true” and “everything is permitted” (the assassins are the good guys in this movie, by the way) and concludes with the declaration "We operate in the darkness to preserve the light."

Even though Assassin’s Creed hasn’t even come out yet, and its sequel prospects are pretty up in the air, despite an ensemble cast of some of the most talented actors working today (let’s be honest, the trailers look bizarre, but we’re staying hopeful), director Justin Kurzel is already making plans for the next installment. He knows where he wants it to be set, and it’s about as far away from the Spanish Inquisition as you can get, without going in the opposite direction. (Assassins fighting Templars and dinosaurs would be cool though. Hmm. Anyone have Kurzel’s email?)

A great many things happen in the new trailer for Justin Kurzel’s upcoming adaptation of the popular video game Assassin’s Creed. Great thespians Jeremy Irons and Charlotte Rampling have a staring contest while saying the words “the Apple of Eden” with a straight face. A giant robotic arm grabs Michael Fassbender and throws him into the past. There’s a burning at the stake and smoke bombs and a double-neck-stabbing and so much more, and yet this all pales in comparison to the magnificent sight of Michael Kenneth Williams saying “What now, pioneer?” to our hero. It’s like seeing the aurora borealis, or Niagara Falls, or the miracle of a new life beginning. It’s majestic, elemental even. Clearly, other things will happen in this movie, but in a way, is Assassin’s Creed not a documentary about the former Omar Little saying “What now, pioneer?”

If you don’t play Assassin’s Creed, you might be a little confused as to what the upcoming movie is all about. We know from the trailers that Michael Fassbender plays Callum Lynch, who is a descendant of someone who lives during the Spanish Inquisition, and who is forced by Marion Cotillard to go back in time and relive his ancestor’s past as a gravity- and physics-defying assassin fighting against the Templar Knights. Now, with a new featurette, we’re able to delve deeper into the mythology of Assassin’s Creed to figure out exactly why these two groups are fighting.

We learned earlier this year that ‘Assassin’s Creed’ would take place in the present more than the past, and the latest trailer gives a better look at that ratio.

The Assassin’s Creed movie might not be coming out until December, but director Justin Kurzel is already building up the hype. After a Total Film interview in which he revealed that he was already looking at the possibility of a sequel, today he discussed how the movie was made, how the characters fit into their 15th century Spain setting, and how many bones were broken.

As far as assassins go, Michael Fassbender is certainly dressed for success in the latest batch of photos from Assassin’s Creed. Fassbender re-teams with Macbeth director Justin Kurzel and co-star Marion Cotillard for the long-developing adaptation of Ubisoft’s hit video game series — which could very well end up being the first genuinely good video game movie ever released.

In an interview not long ago, Michael Fassbender promised that the Assassin’s Creed movie would feature some practical stunts, which seemed a bit hard to believe given the increasingly CGI-driven nature of film — not to mention how crazy dangerous it would be to pull off some of the physical tricks depicted in the video game series. But it looks like director Justin Kurzel is delivering on that promise, as evidenced by this awesome behind-the-scenes video, in which a stuntman takes a 125-foot “leap of faith.” 125 feet. That’s beyond impressive.

In news that may come as a disappointment to fans of the Assassin’s Creed video games, it appears that Justin Kurzel’s big screen adaptation of the series is primarily set in present day. As most fans of the games will tell you, the best, most exciting and immersive stuff happens in the sequences set in the past. But the film could still be good, right? Michael Fassbender certainly thinks so, but he’s kind of paid to think that.

Assassin’s Creed doesn’t hit theaters until December, but it shouldn’t be much longer before the first trailer arrives to give us a proper sneak peek at what may very well be the first good video game movie. In the meantime, two new images have arrived featuring Michael Fassbender in both past and present settings — though his present state doesn’t look very optimistic.