Earlier this month, the internet went all aflutter that Ubisoft was entering the film business with the founding of Ubisoft Motion Pictures. This was at least partially true, as the French company was in fact looking to secure deals with American studios to produce movies based on their gaming franchises. That said, the company had no plans to actually start producing motion pictures on their own. Now, it looks like the company may already be in discussions to release 3D versions of "Assassin's Creed," "Splinter Cell," and "Ghost Recon."
Speaking to Variety, Ubisoft Motion Pictures' division head, Jean-Julien Baronnet, and vice-president of distribution, Jean de Rivieres, claim that the projects have drawn great interest from American screenwriters and studios. The pair are apparently flying out to Los Angeles in June – which conveniently coincides with E3 – to meet with "studios and agents." Who these U.S. film executives are, exactly, is unclear.
"We want to keep ownership, retain control over the film content, and we're open to work with studios on the development of our projects, and eventually collaborate on the pre-casting, pre-budget and script," Baronnet told Variety.
None of this seems to scream, "we have a deal," or give any notice that films are entering pre-production, but it certainly seems as though Ubisoft is fully committed to having their hottest franchises thrown into the film mix. "Assassin's Creed" and "Splinter Cell" make perfect sense to me, as both titles are already rather cinematic-based game franchises. "Ghost Recon," though? I guess you never know.
"We will have a script ready by the end of the year," de Rivieres noted. Based on that comment, it sounds like these movies are quite a ways off from seeing release (if they even do).
Ubisoft's film arm is also seeking a partner in producing a CGI-based "Raving Rabbids" series. Baronnet said the company has already been in talks with an American network and French broadcasting company in regards to that title.
This isn't the first time an Ubisoft-related game has seen a film adaptation; remember "Far Cry?" Sure, they were only the publisher, but that movie may have actually caused me to go temporarily blind at one point. Hopefully, Ubisoft Motion Pictures' intention to keep "ownership and control" also means "no Uwe Boll."