The film adaptations of Ubisofts' Splinter Cell video game has moved one step closer to theaters with the news that New Regency will produce the film, according to a report from Variety.
Tom Hardy, who played the villainous Bane in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" will play third-echelon agent Sam Fisher. Eric Singer, whose previous work includes "The International" and the animated television series "Aeon Flux," will write the screenplay for the film.
The report says that it is likey that the film will be distributed by Fox, because of New Regency has a long standing relationship with the studio. New Regency is also working with Ubisoft to produce the film adaptation of the popular video game series Assassin's Creed, which will star Michael Fassbender. The "X-Men First Class" actor will also be co-producing the film through his Fox-based company Shingle.
According to Variety, "Ubisoft will work closely with New Regency to develop and co-produce "Splinter Cell" with Jean-Julien Baronnet, CEO of Ubisoft Motion Pictures."
"With actor Tom Hardy attached and screenwriter Eric Warren Singer to write the script, Ubisoft Motion Pictures will lead the development with the support of New Regency to bring the franchise to the big screen in a dynamic way," Baronnet said. "For Ubisoft Motion Pictures, creative control is key and New Regency shares our commitment to respecting the creative freedom of our team. Their ability to produce both blockbusters and intriguing indie hits is an ideal fit for the 'Splinter Cell' franchise."
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a series of stealth video games that star protagonist, Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of a fictional black-ops sub-division within the National Security Agency (NSA). The secretive sub-division is called the "Third Echelon," a top-secret directorate tasked with fronting America's efforts in informational warfare.
Sam Fisher is a field operative or splinter cell of Third Echelon and a seasoned veteran of Covert Ops and Black Ops. In the video games, the character is voiced actor Michael Ironside.
There have been six games in the series and the sixth installment, Splinter Cell: Blacklist will release this spring for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Windows PC.