Throughout history, these two groups have been fighting for the fate of
humanity. In the present, the Templars are close to realizing their
dream of dominion by using ancient artifacts (created by an extremely
evolved First Civilization) known collectively as Pieces of Eden. Among
other things, these artefacts have the power to optimize the human
mind.
Adapting “Assassin’s Creed” for the big screen, the movie introduces a new character to the
established canon; Cal Lynch, played by Michael Fassbender. A
descendent of several lines of prominent Assassins, Cal is a career
criminal who is rescued from his own execution by Abstergo Industries,
the modern-day incarnation of the Templar Order. He is forced to
participate in the Animus Project and relive the memories of his
ancestor Aguilar de Nerha, an Assassin during the Spanish Inquisition.
As Lynch continues to experience Aguilar's memories, he begins to gain
an understanding of his traumatic past and his role in the
centuries-long conflict between the warring factions.
As one of the video gaming industry’s most popular and beloved
franchises, Assassin’s Creed is famous for its heart-pounding action
sequences. The series was among the first to prominently feature Parkour
as a major gameplay element, with Assassins breathlessly vaulting over
the rooftops of cities including Jerusalem, Florence, Paris and London.
Director Justin Kurzel and his team tapped some of the top Parkour
talents to determine how to stage the action of Assassin’s Creed without
relying on extensive CG trickery. The production then travelled to some
of the most visually stunning corners of the globe in the hopes of
capturing one-of-a-kind sequences that would offer viewers an
immersive—and realistic—experience.
Never one to shy away from an acting challenge, star Fassbender
performed many of his own stunts. “He worked out enormously,” Kurzel
says. “I trained every morning before work, conditioning and
strengthening,” Fassbender says. “And then some Parkour training, which
is huge in the game, so it was very important for us to get it right. In
terms of Aguilar’s fighting technique, his weapon of choice are the
blades on the wrist as it’s a lot of close-quarter fighting and a lot of
slashing and punching movements. We didn’t want things to be too
beautiful-looking. We wanted there to be an element of messiness and
nastiness there. So, at moments, it’s very beautiful and stylized, and
then in other moments, it’s very visceral, nasty and messy, and more
thinking on your toes and improvisational.”
“Assassin’s Creed” opens nationwide on January 4 in almost 200 screens nationwide from 20th
Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. – Metro Manila, Cebu,
Bohol, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, GenSan, Cagayan, Zamboanga, Cavite,
Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas, Baguio, Bicol, Palawan, Pampanga, Bicol,
Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Subic, Pangasinan, Bataan, South Cotabato,
Iligan.
