At PAX East, we got to speak with Aymar Azaïzia (Assassin’s Creed Head of Content at Ubisoft), Tim Wildgoose (Production Armory Master for the movie) and actress and martial artist Michelle Lin (who played as Lin) about the alternate ending coming in the home release of the Assassin’s Creed movie. Additionally, we found ourselves discussing what made Assassin’s Creed one of the standout video game films, a genre that has long been mired with disasters and letdowns.
Azaïzia talked at length about the movie having been much more of a passion project than it being just merely a licensing project that gets handed off to a studio. “It’s hard to find the right filmmaker to make a good game,” he said. “We thought that one of the key elements was to work hand in hand with the studio.” He noted that it was important to acknowledge that video games crossing over to the silver screen is something that’s going to take time before it’s something filmmakers and game developers are able to nail consistently. “When you look at comic book movies, it takes time, and they change the way they approached it. They aren’t replicas but [the filmmakers] come up with their own takes and representations in the storytelling.” Essentially, it’s important that both sides are passionate about each other as mediums that tell narratives differently.
“We want them to love the universe,” Azaïzia continued. “When actors come in and don’t know the universe and say that they love the story after getting involved is flattering and informs us that we are doing something right.”
Lin, who was not familiar with the games, reflected the same sentiment. She went on to talk about how the transition into the story as a martial artist and as an actress was uncharted territory. “Movie fighting is different and it’s all choreographed,” Lin said. “I had to learn about the beats and the timing while still making sure it looked impressive. Martial arts in real life isn’t always pretty.”
Making the transition in any art form to film is not easy, and it takes practice. Video games are still young, and their stories and universes are still growing. An industry that’s hardly half a century years old hasn’t even figured itself out as a medium yet. Assassin’s Creed may not be perfect, but it’s certainly promising looking forward. We’ve come a long way from the Super Mario Bros. movie.
Check out the bonus footage in the home release. The film is available digitally now and on Blu-Ray and DVD March 21st.
