It’s been eight years since Ubisoft property, Splinter Cell, began circling the internets and teasing a live action adaptation with Tom Hardy in the Sam Fisher role, whilst changing several hands between producers and writers.
It’s only been a few months since Ubisoft’s third-person shooter, Tom Clancy’s The Division, released on shelves to the tune of positive ratings up to $330 million dollars in sales. That’s a huge chunk of money, so it’s reasonable to believe Ubisoft sees enough potential in the property to turn it into a viable feature film with great prospects.
Well, that’s exactly what they’re doing according to a report from Variety and with none other than Southpaw and Nightcrawler star Jake Gyllenhaal starring. The report states that a writer is currently being sought after to pen the script casting Gyllenhaal as an agent of the Strategic Homeland Division, assigned to help rebuild its branch in New York City while investigating the nature of a smallpox outbreak and defending against criminal activity lurking in the background.
This marks the second round for Gyllenhaal in a property developed in part by Ubisoft with the live-action adaptation, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, which wasn’t too well received among gaming fans, thus contributing to many a protest from fans decrying Hollywood “ruining games”. I’m sure some of you reading this have seen those arguments, while The Division could very well do for Gyllenhaal what Batman has done for Ben Affleck so far. It’s possible, and I’m curious.
Let’s keep our eyes peeled.
H/T: Gamespot
Roughly a year and a half since a press release was issued officially announcing New Regency and Ubisoft Motion Pictures’ live-action adaptation of the popular game, Splinter Cell with actor Tom Hardy set to star, the official word has come in confirming Hardy is now working on the script with director Doug Liman. Liman‘s attachment came as of March this year just months away from the forthcoming release of his new sci-fi action adventure, Edge Of Tomorrow.
In a new report from IGN, Liman attributed a few details about what fans might expect upon the film’s production. “Everything about Splinter Cell will be younger.” he says. “It’s a chance to come up with a new franchise that is fresher and newer and younger, and Tom Hardy is such an incredible actor.”. The Bourne helmer also added “Some of the tropes of the game will for sure be in the film, but also the fun of that is when you lose them. To strip that stuff away and really make the character have to operate without it.“.
Based on the highly acclaimed Ubisoft video game franchise created from a series of books began by late military sci-fi author Tom Clancy, Splinter Cell centers on the story of Sam Fisher, a highly-trained special ops soldier who works in a fictional black-ops sub-division called “Echelon”. The team is best known for its use of cutting edge weaponry and unique combat skills to take on terrorists and neutralize powerful enemies, in action-packed stories ripped from real-world headlines. American Hustle scribe Eric Warren Singer is adapting the live action screenplay for Basil Ilwanyk to produce.
Splinter Cell is one of currently two known live action video game adaptations Hardy is reported to be appearing in, with the other being director Reuben Fleischer’s upcoming production of the classic Midway game, Spy Hunter. In the meantime, further details remain to be seen with the long-awaited release of his next big role in director George Miller’s reboot road thriller, Mad Max: Fury Road, which is releasing on May 15, 2015.
Liman‘s new film, Edge Of Tomorrow releases this Friday.
H/T: Total Film
I’m not a part of the gaming culture so video games are a bit alien to me these days. But I do take notice when fans of certain franchises come out of the woodwork to put together some of the most amazing and inspired fan-attributed projects ever to hit the internet. One such case is Ubisoft’s new action adventure game, Watch Dogs, and independent filmmaker Devin Graham has delivered his own inspired take on the popular upcoming product with a brand new parkour-enfused shortfilm now available on his YouTube channel in the embed below.
Featuring freerunners Chris Romrell and Robert Bennett of CBR Stunt Team with comedic actor and YouTube personality Craig Benzine, the new shortfilm was shot on location in Chicago where the actual game takes place. The cinematography is excellent and smooth, and presents a great look at some incredible parkour work done by the performers, especially when it came to the bigger stunts; No CGI or wires involved. These guys put their lives on the line for the love of their craft, and it deserves to be viewed and shared. After all, you know what they say: Sharing is caring.
Check it out below, and don’t forget to watch the ten-minute behind-the-scenes featurette linked at the end (you can also find all the information you need in the description.
