Splinter Cell

Splinter Cell.

In 2005, it was announced that a live-action film based off the video game series of the same name, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, was in production.

Plot

It were to follow a younger Sam Fisher (in his prime as opposed to the portrayal of a seasoned spy in the video games), fresh from the Navy SEALs, demonstrating his exceptional infiltration skills in a mission that goes wrong.

Development

The film was in development as early as 2005, and was originally announced as a special feature in the third game Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, In 2011, Ubisoft announced that Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, and Assassin's Creed were all planned to receive film adaptations. They stated, "We want to keep ownership, retain control over the film content, and we're open to work with studios on the development of our projects, and eventually collaborate on the pre-casting, pre-budget and script." The following year, it was reported that Warner Bros. and Paramount were the front-runners bidding to make the film. By November, it was announced that actor Tom Hardy was cast as Sam Fisher, while Eric Warren Singer was hired as screenwriter. By 2013, Ubisoft announced that the film would be made by New Regency, with Basil Iwanyk slated to be a producer through his production company Thunder Road Films.

In March 2014, Doug Liman joined as a director, with Jean-Julien Baronnet and David Bartis attached as producers. Later that month, Sheldon Turner was to write a new draft of the script. Hardy told Collider in an interview that the studio was hoping to start filming in August. By June, Liman stated that both he and Hardy were working on the film's script. In October of the same year, Iwanyk stated that filming would start in early 2015.

In April 2015, Liman stepped down as director, with Joseph Kahn acting as his replacement. By July, Ubisoft hired Frank John Hughes to rewrite the script. In January 2017, Iwanyk confirmed that the script had been completed and sent to Hardy to read over. The producer explained that the film was intended to have its own style within the action movie genre, aiming to make it PG-13.

Why It Was Cancelled

1. They had trouble getting the script and budget up to the standard they desired.

Results

• The film was permanently cancelled as of November 2024, and Splinter Cell remains as a game series.
• In July 2020, Netflix announced that an anime series adaptation based on the games was in the works from Ubisoft. John Wick writer Derek Kolstad will be serving as executive producer on the series,