Fassbender brings video game to life with new sci-fi film

Michael Fassbender (left) stars as a convicted murderer and his distant ancestor in Assassin's Creed, a sci-fi film that will open in theaters across the Chinese mainland on Friday.[Photo provided to China Daily]

As Michael Fassbender wields a sword, a gift from a Chinese fan, the two-time Oscar nominee looks like he is reliving his role in Assassin's Creed.

The Hollywood star known for playing Magneto in the X-Men movies in China recently toured Beijing to promote his upcoming sci-fi film, which is based on French publisher Ubisoft's video games.

The star quickly won hearts as he went from sampling local food to singing a birthday song for a Chinese fan.

Assassin's Creed is slated to open across the Chinese mainland on Feb 24 alongside Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the sixth installment of the 15-year-long zombie franchise.

The film is based on popular Ubisoft games. But given that most such films typically receive mediocre receptions even though the games have huge fan bases, some wonder why Fassbender - who has a bunch of serious movies to his credit - would accept such an offer.

Fassbender says: "It was very interesting and a challenge for me to develop the Ubisoft games (into a film)."

He says that despite not being a fan of the games, he was hooked on Ubisoft's concept.

The 39-year-old actor is also one of the producers of the film.

The Assassin's Creed games are known for their historical accuracy - whether they portray France in the late 18th century or Italy in the Renaissance period. This also extends to the movie.

Meanwhile, despite the film being based on the games, more than 70 percent of the roles in the movie are new.

The film's story is set in two timelines - Spain in 1492 and the present day.

In the movie, Fassbender plays a convicted murderer and his distant ancestor, a core member of a secret assassins' society, which fights the Knights Templar over centuries.

The death-row inmate is forced to use a machine to explore his genetic memory, obtain his ancestor's knowledge and combat skills and retrieve a treasure.

Fassbender says for those who have never played the game, the visual spectacles and the action scenes will be the main attractions.