Will Film Revamp Interest in Assassin's Creed Costumes?

By Shrey Sankalp

I think we can all agree that every studio has its goose that lays the golden eggs.
I think we can further agree that judging by the merchandise, props and costumes sold (apart from the main product, of course), for Ubisoft it is the Assassin's Creed video game franchise.
At some point in your life, you must have come across something Assassin's Creed related, because ever since the first game debuted all the way back in 2007, the series has surprisingly found itself coming up in mainstream conversations often.
I would give the credit for the same to the game's nature and aesthetic, because while most of the gameplay elements were fairly traditional, everything else wasn't.
The game has a near superhero-like mythology, in fact, with the only difference being that the characters aren't wearing spandex costumes, but old-world costumes from an era we have only read about in history books.

The game (and the series in general) cover the history of two warring factions, the Assassins and the Templars over the course of history, except we get to play out said history. How? A corporation known as Abstergo puts our present day protagonists in a machine called Animus that allows them to live their ancestors' memories.
I shall deliberately remain vague here, so as to not spoil anything for someone who is yet to play the games, but rest assured, it's all very cinematic. And cinematic is exactly what you need to elevate a property like Assassin's Creed from a niche item to a mainstream success.
As enthralled as I am to see characters put on cool looking costumes and fight it out against other characters with cool looking costumes in a historical setting, it wouldn't be satisfactory enough if the world established wasn't aesthetically appealing.
Thankfully, the designers at Ubisoft were aware of that, because Assassin's Creed has the most intricately designed video game universe of all franchises.
Every installment of the games is set in a different time period, in a different land, and the game is tasked with doing its own thing, but being a part of the same universe, and feeling like it, whether it's in the gameplay, the costumes or the narrative. I don't have to tell you the franchise consistently manages it. Whether it is the architecture, or the costumes, or the story - everything feels authentic and meshes with the series' design (especially the signature Assassin's Creed hooded costume) extremely well.
It is this cinematic universe-like appeal and the promise of a fully fleshed out tale that Assassin's Creed offers and sucks in the audience with, whether they're gamers or not.
This popularity only increased manifold as the release of a new title became an annual event, and now we've reached a point where Assassin's Creed is not just limited to your console, but has infiltrated your costume stores and the streets on Halloween as more and more people are eager to kit themselves out in an Assassin's Creed costume.

When that happens, there's only one way to go - Hollywood.
And boy, we're there.
This is the first year in a while where Ubisoft won't be releasing an Assassin's Creed game, and while that may sound like a harsh blow, to soften it, we have a film based on the game in theatres right now!
Even if it didn't have the name on it, you'd know what franchise the film belonged to - a historic and present set film, with the lead character in a hooded costume? The only way the film could be more Assassin's Creed if the costume had the name of the series embroidered on it.
That astute observation aside, what you need to know is that while the film is an adaptation, it is solely determined to be its own thing within the same universe. It shares the costumed shenanigans of the game it is based on, and a few plot points, but the way it handles them are considerably different.
As it should be.
Let's face it, as cinematic as the game might be with its period (and present) settings and accordingly coordinated costumes, it couldn't have been turned into a straightforward adaptation as a movie, simply because games are meant to be played and movies to be watched.
The real challenge here was to replicate the essence of the video game, and I would say the director, Justin Kurzel (you probably know him from Macbeth) has done a competent enough job.
I will deliberately avoid any explanation or summary of the plot, so as to keep the discussion spoiler free, but know that our protagonists are entirely new characters, and not recurring ones. Desmond Miles has been swapped for Callum Lynch (played by Michael Fassbender) and when he relives his ancestors' memories, the hooded costumes of Alta'ir, Ezio and the fan favorite Kenways have been eschewed for the original creation Aguilar de Nerha, with the time period being that of the Spanish Inquisition.

Which leads me to the one thing I can say the film really deserves all the credit it can get for - the production values, especially with regards to the costumes. I've mentioned earlier how Assassin's Creed is a franchise heavily dependent on its cinematic aura, and the film seems to have made extra efforts in said direction as the production values are off the charts. The 1400s Spain shown looks like the 1400s Spain. Every primary character and every secondary character seems to have gone through a detailed design process, as everyone has been given a unique costume, and a costume that drips with historic wealth and era accuracy. Aguilar may not be an Ezio or an Alta'ir, but he sure has a costume to rival either of their costumes, and considering how great their costumes are, it is no small feat.
It is this effort into the costuming process that brings the past era to life, while differentiating it from the present one.
While the costumes and set design of the past evoke a very old-school feel, the present has been given a very neo-modern style. The present Callum wears a pristine white costume, as do all residents at Abstergo, while the other characters, Sophia and Alan Rikkin have their own costumes with their unique flourishes that will appeal to many a costume enthusiast. This minimalist and sterile design extends from the costumes to the sets as well, with the designs turning more cubical and squarish, and providing a welcome aesthetic dichotomy from the past.
The Animus redesign too works in the movie's context, and coupled with some great production values and a welcome focus on costumes, the film will weave itself well into the Assassin's Creed cultural tapestry.

The costume industry is grateful to the games for their contributions like the Alta'ir costume, or the Ezio costume, or even the modern costumes like the Edward Kenway costume or the Arno costume, as all of them have proven so unique and appealing, that consumers have happily lapped them up and are all to happy to break out these costumes on Halloween.
The costume industry will also want to reserve some of that gratefulness for the film, as with the film's typical Kurzelian production values and specific emphasis on design, there is going to be a glut of Assassin's Creed costumes, with new designs such as the obvious Aguilar costume, Callum costume and Maria costume, along with some less obvious, but just as likely Sophia costumes and Alan Rikkin costumes (turtlenecks and blazers? classic).
To circle back to the question I asked in this piece's title, the answer is yes. Yes, the film will reinvigorate interest in Assassin's Creed following a no-show from the games this year, and as always, Wonder Costumes will be there to fulfill your needs.