The marketing campaign for the Assassin’s Creed movie has officially shifted into a higher gear with this week’s release of a cryptic photo and a website for Abstergo, the shadowy company at the heart of the film’s generation-spanning war between two mysterious (and dangerous) organizations.
With Assassin’s Creed hitting theaters a year from now, 20th Century Fox is clearly beginning the uphill battle of convincing audiences that its big-screen adaptation of the hit video game series won’t be the disappointment that the majority of game-to-movie projects have been so far. While the new promotional material doesn’t reveal much about the film, the photo and website do suggest that something big could be on the way in March — likely the first trailer for the film.
The photo posted to the movie’s official Twitter account depicts a business card for Abstergo CEO Alan Rikkin, and includes a phone number and email address for him.
12.21.16 pic.twitter.com/ikNNeheWuk
— Assassin's Creed (@AssassinsMovie) December 21, 2015
Callers to the number listed on the card and visitors to the Abstergo website receive the following message: “Hello, you’ve reached the voicemail of Alan Rikkin. I’ll be out of the office on business until March 25 with limited availability.”
Emails to the address listed on the card and on the website receive a similar, automatic reply.
Set to star Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave, Steve Jobs, Assassin’s Creed is directed by Justin Kurzel (Macbeth) and follows a character who discovers that he’s descended from a line of skilled assassins tasked with thwarting the Templars’ attempts to take over the world. By using a machine that unlocks his genetic memories, he’s able to experience the world through the perspective of one of his ancestors, an assassin in 15th century Spain. In developing this connection with his ancestor, he’s able to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to battle the modern-day Templars and attempt to stop their latest effort to subjugate humanity.
Along with Fassbender, the film stars Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception), Jeremy Irons (The Borgias), Ariane Labed (Before Midnight), Michael K. Williams (The Wire), and Brendan Gleeson (Edge of Tomorrow).
Assassin’s Creed is scheduled to hit theaters December 21, 2016.
