From video game to the big screen: Assassin's Creed movie trailer released

The first trailer for this year’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night.

The film, which stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, is set in a universe similar to the one in the game series, but features a new set of characters. The movie follows Callum Lynch (Fassbender), who is kidnapped by the series’ villainous corporation, Abstergo Industries. Abstergo captures Lynch to put him in the Animus, a virtual reality machine, so he can relive the memories of his ancestor, a member of the Spanish Inquisition from the 15th century. Based on the trailer, both Cotillard and co-star Jeremy Irons seem to play Lynch’s captors, Abstergo scientists who operate the Animus. The film also stars The Wire veteran Michael K. Williams.

The trailer features a lot of fast-paced action and plenty of assassinating, including a shot of Lynch jumping off a building and falling in the game series’ iconic “air assassination” pose.

While most of the trailer will be familiar to fans — you can see how the story was inspired by the original AC — not everything is identical to the original series. The Animus, the machine Abstergo uses to allow people to relive memories, for example, is no longer a bed or chair, but a set of robot arms. It also seems like “the bleeding effect,” which allows Animus users to bring back their experience (and assassin training) to their modern selves, will play a larger role.

20th Century Fox also released the film’s theatrical poster, which you can check out below.

Fox seems to have high hopes for the film, given that reports suggest the studio has already greenlit a sequel. Game series publisher Ubisoft may also have high hopes for the film, as it will not release a new Assassin’s Creed game this year. It will be first year Ubisoft has gone without releasing a new Assassin’s Creed since 2009.

Assassin’s Creed (the movie) opens December 21.