Tom Clancy has become one of the most well-known names of military-/espionage-based thrillers in recent decades, spawning dozens of highly successful video games, including the very successful Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell franchises.
First released in 2002, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is now set to get its big screen debut, and Variety report that the immensely rising star, Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), has signed on to play the lead, Sam Fisher.
Ubisoft have recently begun developing feature film adaptations of their video games, and have set up an Assassin’s Creed film at New Regency/Fox, which Michael Fassbender is set to co-produce and lead.
And with Hardy now boarding their Splinter Cell project, things are looking very good for the video games publisher and developer. The film isn’t yet set up at a studio, but preliminary talks have been had at Warner Bros. and Paramount, and smart money says that with a name like Hardy’s attached in the lead, and with Splinter Cell being such a big name amongst video game fans, it should hopefully be a fairly smooth road towards production.
Eric Singer (The International) has been hired to pen the script, and with Singer also having written the upcoming David O. Russell project (previously known as American Bulls**t), set to star Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, and Amy Adams, he’s certainly going to be one to watch in the years to come.
Hardy has had a fantastic year, taking a lead antagonist role in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises opposite Christian Bale, and following that up with John Hillcoat’s Lawless alongside Shia LaBeouf and Jessica Chastain.
He’s one of those few actors who seems capable of absolutely anything, including bulking up and down for his various roles, and bringing nothing but the best to the table in each and every one.
There’s still no word yet on who might be taking the helm for this, but naturally it will likely be a hotly sought-after job, just like Assassin’s Creed. It will come with a lot of expectations, but if handled well, there’s a huge potential for the film to be a big hit. Here’s to hoping that Ubisoft’s talks will continue to go well with studios, and that we’ll have more on this soon.
