Steven Spielberg Turned Down Assassin's Creed Movie
Lmfao. Pwned.
Steven Spielberg Turned Down Assassin's Creed Movie
DreamWorks was among studios who passed. Here's why.
November 3, 2011
Steven Spielberg Turned Down Assassin's Creed Movie
DreamWorks was among studios who passed. Here's why.
November 3, 2011
Why did so many studios -- including Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks -- pass on the Assassin's Creed movie, which Sony ended up making a deal with Ubisoft to develop and distribute?
Citing various unnamed insiders at some of the studios that passed on the project, Vulture reports it was largely a matter of creative control. The deal allows Ubisoft approval over everything from budget and script to casting and the release date. "They want to be able to pull the plug on the whole movie's development if they decide to. It's ridiculous," said one boss at a studio that dropped out of the bidding.
Another studio exec involved said that while they understand Ubisoft's need to guard their baby, "they're not moviemakers, and the only way to make sure it's a bad movie is to undervalue what movie studios do — and this is a deal that totally undervalues what movie studios do."
A Hollywood agent who represents a different game company put it more bluntly: "The whole Ubisoft/Sony deal is a waste of ink, paper and time. The level of control Sony gave up means, effectively, that Assassin's Creed will never — and I mean never — get made."
So why did Sony say yes? Vulture says it's because Ubisoft is footing most of the development costs so Sony is only looking at a small percentage of expenses on a movie with broad-based appeal and a built-in fanbase. Time will tell who made the right bet.
Citing various unnamed insiders at some of the studios that passed on the project, Vulture reports it was largely a matter of creative control. The deal allows Ubisoft approval over everything from budget and script to casting and the release date. "They want to be able to pull the plug on the whole movie's development if they decide to. It's ridiculous," said one boss at a studio that dropped out of the bidding.
Another studio exec involved said that while they understand Ubisoft's need to guard their baby, "they're not moviemakers, and the only way to make sure it's a bad movie is to undervalue what movie studios do — and this is a deal that totally undervalues what movie studios do."
A Hollywood agent who represents a different game company put it more bluntly: "The whole Ubisoft/Sony deal is a waste of ink, paper and time. The level of control Sony gave up means, effectively, that Assassin's Creed will never — and I mean never — get made."
So why did Sony say yes? Vulture says it's because Ubisoft is footing most of the development costs so Sony is only looking at a small percentage of expenses on a movie with broad-based appeal and a built-in fanbase. Time will tell who made the right bet.
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