While the original movie received mixed reviews from fans it was still profitable, so will Assassin’s Creed 2 still happen? Video game movie adaptations have proven historically tricky to get right. The Super Mario Bros movie from 1993 still the tone for many of the films that would follow, failing to capture either the tone or fun of the source material. Many more duds like Doom and Max Payne would follow.
While the genre has never been embraced critically, hit adaptations such as the Resident Evil franchise or Dwayne Johnson’s Rampage show there’s still an audience for them. The recent Netflix anime series Castlevania, based on the long-running game series, has also proven an adaptation can be faithful and receive strong reviews at the same time.
It appeared 2016 might turn around the critical reception of the genre on the big screen, thanks to high-profile projects like Duncan Jones’ Warcraft and Justin Kurzel’s Assassin’s Creed. Sadly, that didn’t prove to be the case and while the latter featured a great cast - including Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and, Jeremy Iron - the movie still received middling reviews. The movie was moderately successful though, so will an Assassin’s Creed 2 movie happen?
Assassin’s Creed 2 Was Announced Before The Release Of The Original
Like the game series, the Assassin’s Creed movie featured a modern-day character experiencing the exploits of an ancestor through the Animus, a machine that allows him to relive those experiences via his genetic memory. It’s a cool concept for a game and a movie, and one of the things that drew Michael Fassbender to the project. It was announced in early 2016 producers were hoping the movie would spawn a trilogy and Assassin’s Creed 2 was being planned.
Assassin’s Creed would eventually gross $240 million worldwide, which is a respectable number but not necessarily enough to launch a series either. Fassbender would later admit during promotion for Alien: Covenant that the movie needed to be more entertaining and took itself too seriously. Developer Ubisoft also admitted disappointment with the movie adaptation. Since then, talk of a direct Assassin’s Creed 2 movie has gone quiet.
An Assassin’s Creed Anime Could Happen
It was revealed in late 2016 Ubisoft had discussed developing a potential Assassin’s Creed TV series with Netflix. Adi Shankar, producer of the Castlevania show, revealed in July 2017 he was spearheading an Assassin’s Creed anime and it would contain an original story. Reports suggest the series could be inspired by the 2014 video game Assassin’s Creed Rogue, which followed an Assassin turned Templar seeking revenge after being betrayed by his Brotherhood.
Like Assassin’s Creed 2, little has been heard about the anime since it was revealed. Given the success of the Castlevania Netflix show, however, it’s entirely possible it’s being quietly developed before being revealed. It feels very unlikely a direct sequel to the movie will happen now, however, given the overall lukewarm response to the project.
