In an interview with Collider, Basil Iwanyk, one of the films producers, confirmed that a Splinter Cell movie is being made. Starring Tom Hardy, the producers have just received a script which they are pleased with, and are busy editing it for Hardy to look over and give his thoughts on.
To make a film based on the universe of a video game is a risky move. The Michael Fassbender blockbuster, Assassin’s Creed the movie has released recently. Domestically it didn’t prove much of a success, but on the global market it has managed to bring in a nice amount of revenue for the production company. This has given the team behind the new Splinter Cell film some drive to make their production an even bigger hit.
Iwanyk is keen to stress the challenges that his movie will face in the genre of spy-action films. The recent resurgence of the James Bond series, as well as the continued success of the action packed Jason Bourne franchise, place direct competition onto any new venture in this field. He states that, “we’re trying to stay away from those movies in terms of tone, in terms of bad guys, in terms of settings.” He then goes as far as saying, “What’s a world that we haven’t seen yet?”
The star of the movie will be British heart-throb actor Tom Hardy. Hardy is reportedly very keen on this project, being a gamer himself, and having many friends in the Special forces, Splinter Cell is an ideal project for him to be part of. The game may be the initial starting point for the movie, but the Producer does say during the interview that Splinter Cell doesn’t have a specific IP like Assassin’s Creed has, allowing the team to use more artistic licence when it comes to the world it is set in, the back stories of the characters and also the caliber of enemy the heroes will face. In his words, this project should be seen as, “A badass, Tom Hardy action movie.”
With the Splinter Cell movie being at such an early stage of production, little can be known about its content or direction. If it is to follow its video game namesake in any way, then we can expect Hardy to be a master of stealth, with a high body count.