"It sounded to many like Michael Fassbender would be taking up the role of Desmond Miles, franchise leading man. Not so fast, says Ubisoft.

"Michael will play the lead role, but it's too soon to say exactly which character that will be," a Ubi rep told us. Though all signs point to Fassbender playing Miles, the various media surrounding the Assassin's Creed franchise has shied away from focusing on the modern American assassin.

For example, Assassin's Creed: Lineage focused on a backstory – Assassin's Creed 2 protagonist Ezio Auditore's father, Giovanni Auditore – rather than on Desmond.

"The storyline isn't bound by a certain era or even a set of characters," the Ubi rep added. "That kind of freedom gives us great flexibility in creating the movie." Which isn't to say that the film will be a Uwe Boll-esque takeoff on the game series. Like all things Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft is treading carefully so as not to anger longtime fans. "We're also taking the responsibility of maintaining fidelity with the overall story and brand very seriously," the rep said.

Ubisoft Motion Pictures is maintaining creative control over the whole process. Michael Fassbender's DMC Film is collaborating with UMP, but Ubi retains rights to who's directing and who's writing the script."