Assassin's Creed Director Teases Fassbender's Co-Star, Says Possibilities for Sequel Are "Endless"

Assassin's Creed director Justin Kurzel has shared some new details on the character Maria, who we've seen in images and the movie's trailer, but don't know much about.

Maria, played by The Lobster's Ariane Labed, is a completely invented character for Assassin's Creed, Kurzel said today during a GamesRadar Facebook Live Q&A. She's a member of the Creed in 15th Century Spain and has a "brother/sister"-type relationship with Michael Fassbender's Aguilar.

"So she's a really interesting character--it's not your typical love interest character," Kurzel said. "She's a real warrior She has very fundamental ideas. She's extremely strong and she's played by this extraordinary actress, Ariane Labed, who did most of the action sequences herself, as well as speaking in Spanish."

He added: "She's very, very exciting in the film and we're lucky to have her. We're very lucky to be able to have a strong female character who's not just a side placement to the male lead. It's someone who's actually integral to the drama that unfolds but also the journey that the Creed takes in the past."

As Kurzel recently revealed, the historical sequences of Assassin's Creed will see the main characters speaking in Spanish, while the modern-day moments will be in English. As previously stated, the movie is set 65 percent in the modern day and 35 percent in the past, which is almost the opposite of the games.

Kurzel also revealed that the next trailer for Assassin's Creed is coming out soon, though that's as specific as he got. Additionally, he said the possibilities for an Assassin's Creed sequel are "endless," thanks in part to the franchise's Animus technology that lets a person transport themselves into the memories of their ancestor--in whatever time period that may be.

"My big thing is to put it out there and see how people embrace it," Kurzel said about the first movie. "I don't think you can deliberately plan for a second one now."

It has already been reported that Fox and New Regency would like to make Assassin's Creed into a franchise. Fassbender, who is producing this year's movie and also plays the modern-day Callum Lynch in addition to Aguilar, is said to be interested in coming back for the sequel, though this is not confirmed.

Video game movies do not have the best track record when it comes to quality. Kurzel said he hasn't seen many video game films, so he hasn't "felt that weight of those films from the past."

"They haven't been around me as I've been making this," he said.

Ubisoft has said Assassin's Creed could become the film to break through game adaptation's history of mediocrity or worse. The film certainly has some high-profile talent involved, as Oscar-winners Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons also star in the film, alongside Brendan Gleeson and Michael K. Williams.

Assassin's Creed opens on December 21.