March 20, 2014 - 13:52 AMT
Doug Liman to direct Tom Hardy in “Splinter Cell” vid game adaptation

Doug Liman is in talks to direct New Regency’s adaptation of the hit Ubisoft videogame “Splinter Cell,” that will star Tom Hardy. Fox will distribute the film, Variety reported.

Basil Iwanyk and Ubisoft Motion Pictures’ Jean-Julien Baronnet are on board to produce along with Liman and his producing partner Dave Bartis through their production company Hypnotic. Eric Warren Singer penned the script.

The game franchise follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained special operative in a fictional black-ops sub-division called Echelon. Sam Fisher and the agents of Echelon utilize combat skills, weapons and cutting-edge gadgets to neutralize international terrorist threats and rogue forces.

The video game series has sold more than 23 million copies and New Regency and Fox see this and “Assassin’s Creed,” another Ubisoft adaptation, as two power-house properties that could cross-over and become franchises for the studio.

What’s interesting about Liman coming onto this project is that he was planning to do a film about Mount Everest with Hardy, but was never able to get the project up and running. But it now looks like the two have found another project on which to make the trek to the big screen together.

Liman is currently in post-production on “Edge of Tomorrow” starring Tom Cruise.