During Ubisoft's quarterly financial conference call, CEO Yves Guillemot announced that their Assassin's Creed video game adaptation has been given the green light, with production already under way. The CEO also confirmed the December 21, 2016 release date, which puts the project up against an untitled animated project from Illumination Entertainment, with Hugh Jackman's The Greatest Showman on Earth opening just four days later on Christmas Day. Here's what Yves Guillemot had to say in a statement.

"We have the pleasure to announce today that the green light has been given by New Regency, and the production has already started. This is a very important milestone for the project and for our team on Assassin's Creed."

It isn't known if Yves Guillemot meant that pre-production has started, or principal photography has begun, but pre-production seems more likely, since Michael Fassbender is currently the only cast member attached. A rumor surfaced back in September that Robert Downey Jr. was being eyed to play Leonardo da Vinci, but that was never confirmed.

The project is based on the second game in the series, Assassin's Creed 2, with Michael Fassbender playing two characters in different timelines. In the present day scenes, the actor is playing Michael Lynch, a death row inmate who becomes a pawn in a war between the Assassins and the Templars. He becomes the subject of several experiments by an evil scientist named Joseph, although he gets help along the way by a character named Lara. The actor will also play an assassin named Aguilar de Agarorobo in scenes set during the Spanish Inquisition.

Justin Kurzel, who worked with Michael Fassbender in Macbeth, is directing from a screenplay that was originally written by Michael Leslie, with Scott Frank, Bill Collage and Adam Cooper also working on the script. Are you excited that Assassin's Creed is finally moving forward? Chime in with your thoughts, and stay tuned for more updates.