Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs series is a strange one. After releasing three big games that failed to live up to the box office success and cross-media interest of Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft doubled down on bringing it to the big screen. Now, the publisher and New Regency have brought in another big-name star to lead the series.
As we speak, this surprising project is picking up speed, with the studio and Ubisoft recently recruiting Talk to Me star Sophie Wilde and now considering bringing Tom Blyth of The Hunger Games fame into the fold.
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Deadline broke the news on June 5, adding that Wilde’s contract has now been completed along with her co-star’s. French genre director Mathieu Turi (Darkness, Meandering) has been tapped to direct the film, a move that comes as no surprise. If you remember that failed Assassin’s Creed film (out in late 2016) was directed by Justin Kurzel, another director with a clear auteur background. The script was written by Christie LeBlanc (Oxygen) with new revisions by Victoria Bata (Best Dressed).
Bryce is a welcome addition to the cast, as he gave a solid and versatile performance in last year’s Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. As for Wilder, she also gives a memorable performance in Talk to Me’s most terrifying scenes. Casting young up-and-coming actors in major roles and (presumably) letting more experienced actors fill in the rest is a choice that has worked well for other franchise first-timers in the past. That said, it remains to be seen how much mainstream audiences will be interested in Watch Dogs’ world of hackers and covert wars against criminals and oppressive regimes.
If Ubisoft’s approach of adapting the Assassin’s Creed universe with a complementary story, rather than retelling one of the games (one of the film’s smartest decisions) is any indication, the Watch Dogs movie could open the door for the series to return after a much-needed hiatus. This angle also worked wonders for the Fallout TV series.