Assassin's Creed is going to be one of this Christmas' biggest releases. And it will be the second big video game adaptation coming this year following this summer's Warcraft. Ubisoft has released a new photo from Assassin's Creed. It features Michael Fassbender as his modern-day character Callum Lynch hunched in a cell, vigorously working on something. What? We do not know.

Michael Fassbender plays dual roles in Assassin's Creed. Lynch will relive the genetic memories of a 15th century Spanish Assassin named Aguilar, experiencing his adventures. The actor is joined by Marion Cotillard, Michael K. Williams, Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson. Justin Kurrzel (Macbeth) is directing the film.

Filming on Assassin's Creed began in Malta this past September. The story is about a revolutionary technology that unlocks genetic memories. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day. Michael Fassbender spoke last year about the production in an interview with Wall Street Journal, where he had this to say about the production.

"It was great. It was a huge learning experience. To be a producer on it as well was very educational. I think we've got something special. I think we've done something original in this genre. He is an outsider. He's been institutionalized from his early teens. He's a little bit of a lost soul of sorts. He starts to identify [his] lineage and where he comes from in a way."

It has already been confirmed that this adaptation will be set in the same universe as the video game series. Producers are so happy with the finished movie, they are wasting no time in moving forward on Assassin's Creed 2. And Michael Fassbender will return as Callum Lynch. Assassin's Creed arrives in a very crowed Christmas market this December, opening just one week after Lucasfilm's first spinoff Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Collateral Beauty starring Will Smith. It will debut in theaters the same day as the big sci-fi epic Passengers starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. As well as the animated family comedy Sing, which follows a group of animals in a singing competition. But that isn't detouring New Regency from already developing Assassin's Creed 2.

The plan is to launch a full-fledged action-adventure franchise with Michael Fassbender leading a number of future sequels. And the first follow-up will bring back some familiar names from the production team. Jean-Julien Baronnet is producing for Ubisoft Motion Pictures, Frank Marshall is producing through his Kennedy-Marshall Company, and Michael Fassbender will work alongside Conor McCaughan to produce through their DMC Films company. Matt Phelps is overing the sequel for Ubisoft, with Pam Abdy set to oversee for New Regency. It isn't known yet if director Justin Kurzel will return.

Assassin's Creed reunites Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard with director Justin Kurzel after the trio worked on their 2015 adaptation of Macbeth. With a reported $125 million budget, Regency Enterprises and 20th Century Fox (the film's distributor) are eager to jump on any momentum the movie does find at the box office. It is believed that the positive responses from fans, especially when they first saw Michael Fassbender in costume, helped seed the idea for the sequel. Some believe this will be the year that video game adaptations finally break through in Hollywood, with Warcraft also expected to be a big hit this summer. What do you think? Are you excited that New Regency and Fox are already planning to turn Assassin's Creed into the next big fantasy action franchise? Or do you think they should slow down and see how audiences truly react first before pulling the trigger? Take a look at the latest photo. Perhaps a trailer is just right around the corner.