Michael Fassbender compares Assassin's Creed to The Matrix

A video game movie thinking about other films and different ways to approach the story? You'd think they were taking the whole thing seriously. Assassin's Creed movie producer and double Assassin Michael Fassbender opened up to Empire about his take on the franchise's genetic memory storyline.

"I’ve always thought about The Matrix when we’ve approached this," he said. "This idea of DNA memory elevates it from a basic fantasy genre [piece], because you have something an audience can actually believe in. Then the journey becomes so much more elevated, because you’re on board in a different way."

It's actually a fitting comparison to make for people who might not have previously strapped themselves into an Animus for 40 hours at a time. While the Matrix is a fictitious construct instead of a link to the experiences of the past, it's a great way to think of genetic memories without having to dredge into the frankly convoluted lore.

Fassbender also revealed that practical effects are the the order of the day and yes, that means actual leaps of faith. *Insert Eagle noise here* "There’s very little green screen in this, which is highly unusual in these films," he explained. "We have stunt guys jumping across buildings in [Maltese capital] Valletta. We’ve got [stunt man] Damian Walters doing a 120-foot leap of faith, without any rope, into a bag, so it’s pretty incredible to see."

While Fassbender is in the role of past and present Assassins Aguilar and Callum Lynch, he's joined by Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons. Assassin's Creed is directed by Justin Kurzel and is out on December 21st in the USA and December 26th in the rest of the world.

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Image credit: Ubisoft Motion Pictures