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Ubisoft Also Bringing Tom Clancy's 'Ghost Recon' Games to Big Screen

by Ben Pearson
January 2, 2013
Source: LA Times

Video game company Ubisoft launched their own motion picture division back in 2011, but they've been taking their time when it comes to transitioning their popular properties to the big screen. Films based on video games haven't exactly had a stellar track record in Hollywood so far, but the company hopes to change that by keeping more creative control and not losing sight of what makes their games great in the first place. They already have Splinter Cell with Tom Hardy and Assassin's Creed with Michael Fassbender in development, and The LA Times reports that special ops game Ghost Recon is being prepped for a movie.

Production company New Regency, who is teaming with Ubisoft to produce Assassin's Creed, seems like one of the few companies that isn't freaking out about Ubisoft's request to remain in total creative control of their property. It's certainly a risk letting a video game company stomp into the Hollywood scene like that, but Ubisoft Motion Picture President Jean-Julien Baronnett actually ran Luc Besson's Europacorp for a few years, so he has some experience.

If New Regency ends up teaming with Ubisoft for Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and any other major properties being adapted in the future, this could be a very lucrative partnership for them. After all, we've seen what happens when video game movies are made using the traditional studio method, and I don't think anyone wants to see another Prince of Persia-style blockbuster. Here's a 20 minute short (via The Playlist) called Ghost Recon: Alpha that gives us a good idea of what it could look like:

Putting the emphasis on character and story seems like a priority for Ubisoft's upcoming slate, and Ghost Recon, which already has ten game entries in its series, seems like a great opportunity to attract a high-profile ensemble cast to round out the soldiers. I'd personally love to see the SEAL team as depicted in Zero Dark Thirty recast as the Ghost Recon soldiers, with guys like Chris Pratt, Joel Edgerton, and Frank Grillo teaming up again. But whoever Ubisoft ultimately chooses to cast, it sounds like they're keeping the story as the most important element, which is a breath of fresh air from the typical studio blockbuster. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more on this one.

Filed under Development, Movie News

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