Assassin's Creed movie 'fast-tracked'

The upcoming Assassin's Creed movie is coming sooner rather than later. Ubisoft today announced that its Ubisoft Motion Pictures outfit has "fast-tracked" the film, and partnered with production company New Regency to get the job done. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ubisoft's deal with New Regency allows the game maker to maintain control of "key elements" of the film's creative direction. Writing of the screenplay for the untitled film is beginning immediately, Ubisoft said, but did not specify who has been tapped for the job.

“Ubisoft chose to partner with New Regency because they are a talent and filmmaker-driven company, with the same independent and creative mindset that we have at Ubisoft Motion Pictures,” said Ubisoft Motion Pictures chief executive officer Jean-Julien Baronnet .

New Regency is a division of Regency Enterprises. Past projects produced by the company include Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Marly & Me. The company is producing Darren Aronofsky's upcoming biblical epic Noah, as well as Twelve Years a Slave.

The Assassin's Creed movie will star Michael Fassbender, who played major roles in Inglourious Basterds, Prometheus, and Shame. No additional cast members, director, or producers have been announced for the movie.

The Ubisoft Motion Pictures outfit was founded in January 2011 with the purpose of bringing the company's games to film, television, and the Web. On top of the Assassin's Creed movie, Ubisoft is at work on a Rabbids TV series for Nickelodeon, and full-length movies based on the Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon game franchises.

The latest game in the Assassin's Creed franchise is Assassin's Creed III, which is set during the Revolutionary War and is due out on October 30 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Releases for the PC and Wii U will follow in November. For more on Assassin's Creed III, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.