The upcoming Assassin's Creed movie will star X-Men: First Class and Inglourious Basterds leading man Michael Fassbender, Variety reports today. Not only will Fassbender play the leading role in the film, but he will also co-produce it. Fassbender is taking on the role of an assassin.

　　"Michael Fassbender was our first choice" to play the franchise's iconic hero, said Ubisoft Motion Pictures CEO Jean-Julien Baronnet.

　　Last year, Sony and Ubisoft were in negotiations to develop multiple Assassin's Creed movies. According to Variety's report today, these talks have been put on hold, with Ubisoft now planning to develop the first film independently. This move would give the studio greater creative control, unlike the scenario with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which was adapted by Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer.

　　Variety points out that Sony could still end up distributing the Assassin's Creed movies, but Ubisoft Motion Pictures will seek a writer and a director before negotiations move forward with Sony. Baronnet told the site that Ubisoft Motion Pictures seeks to "limit its risk investment" with the Assassin's Creed films by tapping its in-house studios, like Hybride Technologies, to develop the visual effects.

　　In addition to Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft is spinning its Raving Rabbids franchise into an animated television series for Nickelodeon and has plans to make movies based on its Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon games.

　　The latest game in the Assassin's Creed franchise is Assassin's Creed III, which is set during the Revolutionary War and is due out on October 30 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. For more on that title, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.